Hello
by Amarok Walker
Summary: AU High-school. How will Link and his brothers have the chance to take the most popular girls of Hyrule High? Chivalry apparently ain't dead just yet.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know I promised some of you that I would return to writing "Me and My Broken Heart". I just feel relatively uninspired most of the time (and I have very little time to devote to writing) so instead I wrote another songfic. This song is K-pop so I had to read the English lyrics first. For those of you curious of the song, this song is from SHINee's "Hello". This will be a two-shot. (I write way too much). VOTE ON MY POLL!  
**

**Warning: This is more of a introduction in this first installment. SO SORRY!**

* * *

"Rinku, time to get up." A voice spoke gently

I groaned at the mention of getting up. I turned over so that my face sunk into the pillow. "I'll be up Gran, just give me five more minutes."

"Rinku," her tone was slightly jocular but firm "It's 4:30."

I rose my head up and stared at my grandmother's face. She was staring back at me with an amused glint in her eye. I rubbed my eyes to clear my vision "Is it really?"

She nodded.

With a light groan, I made my way out of bed and was about ready to fix it till I felt a hand on my arm. I looked back. "Let me do that. I don't want you to be late." She told me

"Are you sure, Gran? I can get this." I assured her, not wanting to make her do everything I can do

She shook her head. "Go," She whispered, "before your brothers get up."

She had a point there. I left without another word.

As soon as I stepped out of the bathroom, I shut it out of habit. My blonde hair was still damp but that would change soon. I turned around and headed down the hallway before someone opened up a door and stepped out of the room. It was my brother, Raven.

"Whoa!" I stepped back surprised, not expecting him to stand up close to me

"Whoa! Hey Link. Slept well?" he asked cordially "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He apologized

I waved my hand dismissively. "It's alright. Is anyone else up?" I asked curiously

He shakes his head "I just got up now. Besides you, me, and Gran, everyone else is asleep as far as I know."

"Great," I responded cheerfully before adding "You better hurry though unless you want a cold shower."

He grinned, patting me on the head "No need to tell me twice." And he finally ran off in the direction of the bathroom.

That's Raven. He's the eldest of my brothers and the person whom I share the most similar characteristics. The only exception is that his eyes are a darker shade of blue. Either than that, he's very calm, rarely raises his voice, and is kind to all those around him. He can speak to a crowd without any hesitancy. He beats me at fencing. And he's also good at giving advice. I will go as far as to say that I am slightly jealous of his abilities…

I make my way to the kitchen, the smell of bacon and toast filling my nostrils. I can't help but salivate at the appetizing smell. Gran, despite her age is quickly bustling around the kitchen making sure everything is in place. I walk up to her.

"Hey Gran, let me help." I say, opening the cabinet door as I get out the plates

She seems relieved as she faces me. Right away she says "Thank you, Link. After you're done, can you wake up Raven?"

"Raven? He's already up." I answer as I set down the last plate

"Oh is he? Can you wake your brother Wulf, then?"

"I'm already up Gran." a new voice says

I look back and the new figure makes his way into the kitchen. Wulf walks in with a tired smile, but it is a smile nonetheless. "Good morning Gran. Good morning Link." He says politely as he hugs Gran and slaps me on the back as custom of our morning greeting.

Unlike me and Raven, Wulf has brown hair. Which somehow always ends up being messy no matter how many times we try to tame it, but it adds a gruff, feral look to his adventurous personality. We often engage in friendly competition matches whether it will be climbing, archery, fencing, or running. I beat him quite frequently at those but in terms of hand-to-hand combat, he is a force to be reckoned with. Even though he is slightly shorter than me and just a bit younger, I would go as far as to say he must have been a Goron in his previous life with all the strength he builds at the ranch he works at. His wrestling prowess is unmatched in this household.

"Link?"

I turn in the direction of my grandmother's voice.

"Can you go to your room and see if your brother-"

Before she can finish, a loud crash can be heard from the bedroom as well as another's laughter. Wulf and I look at each other and roll our eyes, knowing already what is going on. We hear a door open as well as a few more minor crashes. No more than a few minutes later, Raven walks in, half-dressed and sighs "Dark is messing with Ravio's pet bird again."

"We know." Wulf and I nod, leaving Raven to return to the bathroom and finish changing.

Half an hour later, we are all sitting around the table holding hands in prayer. Once Gran says the final words, we dig in hungrily. I take the pepper as I sprinkle it on my scrambled egg and add butter to my toast; the newly toasted bread melts the butter right away. I take a large bite out of my toast and I feel liquid running down my chin. I wipe my face and take a large chug of my milk. I glance towards my grandmother who seems to be watching amusedly at my behavior. I raise a brow as I fill my third cup of milk.

"Wow, Link. Next time, we need to buy you a cow." She jokes

I play along with her "Can you buy me two?" I say with a grin, causing Raven and Wulf to chuckle and take a large gulp out of their milk cups

"Actually Gran, can you make it three?" Wulf teases once he finishes his cup

"Make it four." Raven adds

Gran laughs amusedly before asking us "So, do you have any big plans next week?"

Before Raven, Wulf, or I can respond, someone else responds much to my chagrin "Yep, sorry Gran, can't help with any home projects if that's what you're asking." I turn my head at the voice and sure enough it's Dark. Dark is younger than me with jet black hair and matching dark eyes to complete the ensemble, but unlike my other brothers and I, he has a "talent for trouble" so to speak. We actually had to move because of him thanks to that prank he decided to pull off at school with the piglets running rampant all over the hallways. Gran nearly had a heart attack when she got the news. I shiver at the memory.

"Oh." Gran replies trying to mask her surprise at my brother's comment. After eight years, she still can be surprised of the things Dark can say and do without a smidgen of fear. Composing herself slowly, she asks "What about the dance you're having at your school?"

"What dance?" I ask through a mouthful of egg which I immediately swallow

"The 'Lovestruck" dance. A meek, timid voice answers for me

I glance at Ravio. Ravio, though bearing a strong resemblance to Dark, is least like him in terms of personality. He is the youngest amongst us. He's usually quiet but he is the most studious. Despite being the same age as us, he is rather short in comparison. Yeah, you heard me right. We are all of the same age… Surprise! We're quintuplets. People at our old school couldn't believe that we were all born on the same day. Well… technically, Raven was born a day before us. He was born in the late hours before the new day started.

"Yes, that dance." Gran grins, clasping her hands together before asking "Are any of you going?"

Wulf speaks up first "Oh, I don't think so Gran."

"And why not? It's your last year at school my little puppy. You can make the best of it."

I notice his face turning red; he scratches the back of his head nervously "Well…"

"Is it a girl?"

"What?" he asks alarmed, and I take it as a cue to stop it right then and there

"Hey guys it's time to go." I interrupt, diverting the conversation once I notice how much time we have left before school starts

"Oh dear me is it the time already?" Gran asks concerned while we hurriedly clean up what we can and grabbing our backpacks "I forget how much time can pass so quickly."

"Link, hand me the keys." Raven calmly directs me to the item sitting on the countertop right next to me. I take it and throw it into his open hand which he catches easily and runs toward the open door. I hastily throw my backpack over my shoulder, barely missing clocking Ravio's open jaw. I hear the engine running indicating he is about to ready to leave the driveway.

A clatter of dishes can be heard as we rush to get prepared. Wulf hurriedly locates his backpack and swings it over his own shoulder while I stuff down the rest of my toast. "Hurry up!" Wulf yells as he runs outside and literally leaps into the backseat. I follow behind him and shout a quick good-bye to Gran. Running towards the back door, I leap inside and tap my foot anxiously as Dark and Ravio rush to get inside. I gesture to Ravio to take my passenger seat right next to Raven. He seems surprised but nods as he seems to get my thoughts.

Wulf seems surprised when I take a seat next to him but I could tell he dreads what I say next "I saved your hide, now pay up."

* * *

"Whoo! That was a close one." I hear Wulf sigh in relief as he shuts the door and swings his large backpack over his shoulder.

"Indeed. I almost thought we would get in trouble for being late again." I remark giving a thumbs-up to Raven as he smiles and waves back before disappearing into the crowd of students

"Yo," I turn and Dark's sharp-toothed grin is present as he closes his door and says "I'll see you all at lunch." With that he speeds off. I raise a brow at his behavior.

"He's probably going to ask Midna about the dance now." Ravio sighs once he steps out. I turn to him. "I mean he's been pursuing her ever since we moved here."

I laugh at this. Pursuing is an understatement when talking about Dark's behavior. He follows her as if he is her puppy. Funny that he didn't remember about the dance. Now that I think about it, why would Ravio know this? "Hey Ravio," I beckon, causing him to swivel around at the sound of his name "how did you remember the dance? You're not usually big on these kinds of events are you?" I ask as I cross my arms, I am no mind reader, but this is really strange for a reclusive wallflower to keep track of these events

Ravio rubs his hands nervously, a habit that he formed when caught in the headlights (not literally). I know right away something is up. "Ravio," I whisper in disbelief "Are you… planning on going to the dance?" I query

He doesn't look up, but nods nonetheless. I smile "Why didn't you say so before? Wow, are you going with someone?" He keeps his head down and just as I am about to speak up, he reaches up and quickly puts his palm onto my mouth.

"Shh! Not so loud." He hisses, catching me off-guard with his behavior. _Is everyone on edge with this dance now? _He looks around, making sure no else is watching then finally puts his hands down. "In response to your question, yes, I'm planning to take Hilda to the dance."

"Really," I say, smiling wider "Is she the girl that you've been tutoring lately. That's great. Congratulations. I see little Ravi has grown out of his little shell." I tease

The small grin that appeared on his face moments ago fades away at my teasing. He puts his hands into his palms and groans "Thanks for your support Link."

"Hey." I say seriously, putting an arm on his shoulder which causes him to look up "I'm really proud of you Ravio. Believe me; I think is a good change for you. I can't wait to tell the guys now."

"Wait, what?" Ravio says, his eyes growing wide "No, not yet."

I frown "Why not?"

"I don't have the courage to do this." He says, his breathing all of a sudden becoming more erratic "What if I-I m-mess up? I c-can't-"

"Ravio!" I yell, getting his attention. Thankfully, no else seems to have heard me as I look around. I look back to him "Life is too short for not taking any chances. If it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one."

He looks at me confusedly as I sigh and elaborate "I mean you're not the only one pining after someone."

"You like someone too?" Ravio questions locking his green eyes onto mine

I'm about to open my mouth until I notice a silver Lexus park itself right across from me and Ravio. I freeze up and my throat tightens. As the car goes into park, a woman steps out from the driver side, as if time slows, I watch as the door slowly opens. A woman with smooth, creamy skin slowly steps out of the car. She is wearing dark skinny jeans with a white halter top. On top of her pretty, glistening blonde hair is a pair of sunglasses which she sets on her crystal blue eyes once she steps out. This… is my Princess, My Goddess, Zelda Harkinian.

Noting my expression, Ravio stares in the direction I'm looking at, then looks back at me with his mouth agape. Knowing what he is about to ask, I return the favor by putting my hand over his mouth which takes him by surprise.

"Shh! Don't say anything." I hiss before putting my hand down

He nods hastily and pulls me aside so that we are out of view "Zelda?!" he whispers excitedly "As in Zelda Harkinian." I nod "As in our class valedictorian, most popular head cheerleader of Hyrule High?" I nod stiffly.

He steps back, putting a hand to his forehead "Wow. I could see why you like her." he says, baffled "She is intelligent and really pretty. She actually beat Shad in the SATs now that I remember."

"Yeah, I know." I groan as I wipe my face "Which makes a little harder for me to try and talk to her. We are in totally different stations as we speak. I might as well as be asking a princess."

"Well who knows? I'm sure you'll find a way." Ravio assures me. "You always do." I look up at him as he looks at his watch before saying "I better go now. See you at lunch Link." He speeds off leaving me right next to the van and utterly confused. I shrug and walk off trying to discern the meaning of his statement.

* * *

"Hey! Nice to see you four." Wulf greets as he makes his way into his chair carrying a tray of food in his hands.

"Hey Wulf." We all say

"Sorry I'm late." Wulf begins as he opens his milk carton "Mr. Rusl sent me on an errand."

"It's alright, Wulf. You're fine." Raven answers before addressing all of us "So how was your guys' morning?"

"Great!" Dark is the first to speak "I managed to get Midna's attention this morning."

"Let me guess." I cut in "When you say you got Midna's attention, you mean getting clobbered in the head and losing all your dignity by letting her pour her water on you."

Wulf, who had been drinking milk, spits out his drink and nearly dies in silent laughter as his body violently shakes from mirth. Raven's mouth twitches despite his attempts to stop it. Ravio tries not to look as if he is laughing by "coughing" into his napkin. Dark gives me an unamused glare. Before he can say anymore though, Raven intervenes "Ok. What about you Link? How did your day go?"

I shrug "Tiresome for the most part. Coach Darbus made us do a mile and leg workouts. Then he gave us free time to do whatever."

"Oh come on." Wulf says, raising a brow "Those workouts weren't that bad. I think you're exaggerating a little."

"Bro, you wake up every morning to go out for a jog- a FIVE mile jog to be specific." I counter "Don't you think you might have a little advantage over the rest of us who try to get some shut-eye?"

"That's why I only take few classes this year. Besides P.E. and my required courses, I have several open periods so that I have more time to do what I want. Wrestling and sleeping are among my top priorities."

I roll my eyes but don't say anymore. A short silence pervades our table before someone else speaks up.

"Well, to answer your question Raven…" everyone turns to Ravio who seems to fidget when we all stare at him "Never mind." He trails off

Everyone seems to shrug this off but I'm not letting this one slip by. "Ravio," I say, trying to get his attention. He snaps his head up at me. "What were you going to say?" I try to give him my best confident grin which seems to enlighten him more to speak

He smiles back at me and speaks with more confidence this time "I'm planning to ask someone to the "Lovestruck" dance."

I did not expect that. Yeah, I knew about this, this morning but I didn't expect him to reveal it to the group just yet. Dark's and Wulf's faces look perfectly alike with their wide eyes and jaw-dropped expressions.

"WHAT?!" Dark yells, prompting me and Ravio to cover his mouth with our hands. We get a few looks in our direction. Because of the position I'm in, I'm forced to wrap my arm behind his head and keep him quiet. He squirms in my grasp and I'm forced to drag him out of the cafeteria with Ravio and the shell-shocked Wulf and surprisingly calm Raven in tow.

**Meanwhile:**

A squadron of cheerleaders immediately took notice of the outburst before going back to their previous conversations. Zelda, herself was more determined to figure out what was going on.

"What in Nayru's name was that about?" Zelda asked, rubbing her left temple as she did so

Ilia, having apparently overheard her, stared in the direction of the brothers before answering her friend's question "I don't know but I guess whatever surprised Dark must have been big news." She stated before taking a sip out from her water bottle.

"I wonder if that big news is related to that incident we had this morning." Midna said with a scowl "That guy really needs to grow up though." Noticing the expectant stares, she elaborated "Dark… he's been pestering me the day he first came here. I can't stand it anymore. I'm so sick of it that I swear to you now; I could smell him whenever he comes by."

"Is he that bad?" Zelda asked with a questioning brow

Midna merely nodded before taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Really?" Hilda interrupted "Ravio doesn't seem like that though. He's very kind and a little… timid, but very nice otherwise."

"That's because it's Ravio you're talking about, not Dark." Midna said, raking her pale, almost-bluish fingers across her hair. "He's the opposite of him."

"Hey gals. What're we talking about?" Marin came in almost out of nowhere, startling most of the group members.

"Oh Marin, hi." Zelda said, putting a hand over her heart before finally settling down as Marin took her seat. "We were just talking about…er-"

"We were talking about Midna's boy troubles." Hilda finished for her _twin _sister, smirking in Midna's direction

"Oh really. I can help with that." Marin said with clear confidence

"If your definition of helping me is getting boys to ask me to the dance, think again." Midna groaned, putting her palms towards her face. "Right now, I just want to have them _stop _pestering me."

"Is he bad as Zant?" Ilia queried

"No, but he annoys me nonetheless." Midna answered through her hands

"Maybe you should give him a chance." Hilda suggested

"Please…that one chance that I will go out with Dark will come when I start parading around Hyrule as a half-naked imp on the back of a canine. And we all know the chances of that happening."

"Hmm, I wonder what Dark sees you then." Marin muttered to herself as she sat down before asking "What about the rest of you? Are you planning to attend the dance?"

"Hmm?" Zelda instinctively said as she had excluded herself out of the previous conversation and was pondering on a different matter until her name was called "I'm sorry Marin. Can you repeat that?"

"I asked if you were planning on going to the dance." Marin responded

"Are you kidding me? Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world. That is if you're all coming, right?" Zelda asked

"If you're going, we all go." Hilda stated "That includes you too, Midna." She pointed to the Twili

She groaned "Fine, but if any of you try to hook me up with anyone. I swear I will throw a fit."

Just as Midna made this proclamation, a young man of medium height with a lean frame, dressed in a black sports uniform came into the scene. Many of the other cheerleaders sighed happily as the young man passed them with a small wave.

"Hey ladies." Marth greeted with a polite smile

"Hi Marth." The ladies greeted back

Marth appeared nervous all of a sudden but eventually he mustered up the courage to ask "Um, Zelda." The lady in question looked back at him "Can I talk to you…in private?"

With a curious brow but standing up nonetheless, Zelda followed him albeit warily. Marth closed the cafeteria doors as they both stepped out in the hallway. Just as Marth was about to speak up, Zelda rose a hand and stopped him "I already know what this is about and my answer is no. I am not going to the dance with you, Marth."

Stunned but not deterred Marth spoke "Zelda, come on. What is it you want from me? I obviously can't be perfect. Where did things go wrong?"

Zelda gaped at him "For someone who is so smart, you aren't so bright when it comes to relationships."

"Hey! I just asked you a simple question." Marth said, his voice rising

"And I gave you my answer." Zelda retorted

Marth stood agape, but he wasn't going to let her have the final say "Now listen _princess_, you-" he threatened, taking a step towards her

What happened next came as a surprise to the blue-haired teen. As he stepped forward, he felt a hard, stinging, sensation to his left cheek. The force of whatever hit him was so quick that he felt his neck pop. Staggering back a few steps, he lifted one hand to his hurt cheek only to feel it mildly burning. He finally looked up and found Zelda, angry yet surprised by her actions as she finally lowered her right hand down to her side. He put two and two together and realized that she had slapped him. A surge of anger coursed through the normally calm Marth.

"You bitch." He cursed, icy blue eyes dripping with lividness "You're in for it now."

Frightened, she stepped back and ran away from him. Her eyes darted in every direction as she ran, trying to find some sort of safe haven, safe from Marth's anger. Though Marth was faster than her, he failed to compensate when turning into the next hallway as she had done. As he turned, he felt his whole body crash against the cement and his feet fell out from under him. He slid, causing him to crash into the wall but was quick to bend his knees as his feet met the wall. He rose to stand up and his eyes darted in every direction to find his intended target but Zelda had already disappeared.

With a grunt, he walked away angrily knowing it would be a lost cause to attempt to find her. But when he realized where he was at. A small, dark smirk crept onto his handsome features. She may have escaped him. But she would not be safe from _them_.

Zelda continued running down the halls and was astounded to find a restroom not far from where she was. She quickly ran inside to gain lost breath. She promptly walked towards the sink and turned on the cold water. As she washed her face, she reflected on the recent events with Marth. Though she felt slightly guilty for thinking so, she was glad that she had slapped him. He had to get it through his thick skull that they were done. "But" she sighed "I guess that would take some time before he gets it."

Sighing once more, Zelda dried her face and promptly walked out the door. Still angry of the previous event, she roughly pushed the door open which earned a pained yelp from the person who had been unfortunate to stand in the way on the other side.

Alarmed, Zelda quickly made her way around the door and found a young man who was her age holding his hands to his nose and his eyes shut in agony; it took her a full second to realize who he was. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" Zelda apologized "I didn't know anyone was out here."

"Oh, it's all right." The young man forgave her automatically even though he wasn't looking at her "I should have realized that I was walking to the women's restroom

Though she had a couple questions in mind, she noticed that a few blood drops were running down his white shirt as he stood up so she directed him "Here, why don't you go wash yourself up." She pointed her finger towards the women's restroom causing the young man to open his eyes and look at her confusedly so as mask his surprise.

"Um…" the young man appeared hesitant

"It's ok." Zelda assured him, placing one hand on his shoulder causing the young man to involuntary shiver at her touch though she did not realize the effect that she had on him "It's empty."

Assured, but feeling awkward in entering a place where he did not belong, the young man followed and leaned forward as he turned on the water and began splashing his face.

Thankful that she had brought her purse along, Zelda reached into one of the pockets and pulled out a pack of tissues. "Here."

Muttering a shy thank you, the young man grabbed a handful and held one tissue to his nose, dabbing it carefully. Out of curiosity, Zelda asked "What are you doing here? I'm sorry. That sounded rude. Er, I mean-"

"Don't worry; I know what you mean." The young man replied as he threw the last tissue away; he turned to her and although his shirt showed obvious blood stains, Zelda couldn't help but stare into the young man's ultramarine blue eyes, something that she had failed to see before despite having seen him roaming the hallways of the school. She hadn't even realized that he had just spoken to her.

"I'm sorry. Can you repeat that?" Zelda said, feeling foolish for having to ask

"I was on my way back to the cafeteria till I heard footsteps so I came here to check it out but I guess I got more than what I bargained for." The young man repeated gesturing to the door

"I am so sorry." Zelda apologized again "I should have been more wary. I really didn't mean to hurt you."

"I can assure you that I am fine. There's no need for apologies." The young man smiled "By the way, is there a reason you are here?" he asked gently

She let out a bitter laugh but said nonetheless "My jerk ex-boyfriend simply couldn't take a "no" when I rejected his proposal."

The young man's eyes widened "What?!" he yelled, thinking that the plan he had put in would be for naught

"What?" she said confusedly before realizing what he inferred "Oh," she laughed "no, I don't mean _that _type of proposal; I meant him asking me to the dance."

"Oh," the young man responded, embarrassed, he changed the subject "I'm Link by the way. Thank you… for the tissues." He said awkwardly

"Any time." Zelda replied, with a small smile

As they made their way back to the cafeteria, an awkward silence fell upon them, both not knowing what they should say next. Link fought hard to hide his nervousness. Not only was he walking with Zelda, but he was walking _alone_ with her. His anxiety rose with each passing second and he felt his ears burning, a sure sign that he was turning red at the mere thought of walking with Hyrule High's head cheerleader.

"By the way," Zelda spoke, immediately catching Link's attention "what was Dark yelling about earlier in the cafeteria?"

Though Link was inclined to answer her question, he didn't want to hurt Ravio's feelings by telling someone outside of their group of his intentions to ask Hilda to the dance. If Ravio was in the same situation, he would know not to disclose anything he deemed personal. In fact it was unanimously agreed by every one of the brothers that no one would tell about their relation to each other. Most people had assumed that they were all cousins attending the same school but none of the brothers attempted to dispel the rumors. Nevertheless, Link attempted to be as vague as possible when answering truthfully so as not to sound rude.

"Oh Dark was just a little excited about…the "Lovestruck" dance." Link answered

"Oh really, is he planning on taking Midna out?" Link's eyes widened, prompting Zelda to elaborate "Midna…told me about the little incident this morning."

"…Er, yes or at least he tried." Link responded, still feeling a little awkward that he was within arm's length distance of the Queen Bee of Hyrule High, much less talking to her. It still astounded him that he wasn't noticeably stuttering in front of Zelda.

Another round of silence fell upon them. Link nervously twiddled his thumbs without even noticing, debating whether or not he should ask but instead settled for "I hope you don't mind me asking but are you going to the dance?"

Zelda nodded "Yeah, I'm going with my sister and our friends…just to celebrate our final year here. What about you? Are you going?"

At this, Link was mentally cheering in joy. He was so happy he didn't even realize that she had asked him a question. If there was no one around he would have actually danced across the hallway, but considering he didn't want to look like a fool, he nodded but he found himself unable to hide his goofy grin to which Zelda noticed.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked inquisitively

"Huh?"

"Why are you smiling?" she asked again

"Well, er, I-"

"Well, look who it is…Linky-boy and Hyrule High's favorite princess." Someone said in a mocking tone

Turning around, the two Hylians' hearts sunk at the sight before them. There was Ganondorf, an overbuilt, large-muscled Gerudo with flaming red hair and a bad attitude to match his cruel temperament. It didn't make the feel the two Hylians any better when they saw his cronies standing further behind them with a wicked smirk carved on their features. One was a tall, thin, pale young man with silvery white hair cropped to the side covering his left eye and also sporting a tiny black diamond tattoo on his cheek; he was wearing impossibly tight skinny jeans with an equally tight white T-shirt that contrasted deeply with the loose maroon coat that he wore. Right away the two Hylians recognized him as Ghirahim, the seemingly calm, flamboyant, yet utterly diabolical student of the school. Another was an equally pale young man resembling a lizard with slightly unfocused eyes and brown hair dressed in a loose, long-sleeved black shirt with light blue patterns on the side. Like Ghirahim, Zant was tall but his arms dangled to the sides, passed his knees which everyone found highly unusual. Link also noted that Zant seemed to be shaking, whether it was excitement or fear, Link did not know so he turned his attention back on the leader.

"Look Ganon. We're just leaving, so leave us be. We'll be out of your hair." Link spoke calmly, having confronted him several times before

"Oh, I'll let you go Grasshopper, but first you must be punished." Ganondorf replied taking a couple steps forward and cracking his knuckles

"Wha-" At that moment, Link saw nothing but stars as he felt himself falling and colliding roughly with the ground. His mind was muddled but he could hear what sounded like a woman's shriek. He felt a pain at the back of his head and liquid dropping down on his nose. As his vision cleared, he saw Zelda cradling his head in her lap with a worried expression creased into her beautiful features and mouthing something that he couldn't comprehend. He couldn't believe what was happening to him.

"W-what?" Link whispered, still dazed from the fall

She mouthed something again, but Link couldn't quite grasp what she was saying. As she opened her mouth to speak, someone else cut in and this time, Link could hear clearly "That'll show you not to mess with us again. Cross into our territory and you'll get much more of the same and _worse_."

Link weakly turned his head and saw a stern look etched on Ganon's face with his arms crossed "Hear me Ponyboy, leave now before I make your girlfriend suffer too."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Zelda spoke for the first time since the ordeal with Ganon, he simply scoffed and simply snapped his fingers as his cronies followed him, Ghirahim looked rather annoyed that his bloodlust had not been fully satisfied but reluctantly stalked after his leader, leaving the two Hylians to themselves.

Frustrated and angry of today's events, Zelda couldn't help but chastise herself for doing nothing while Link took a blow from each one of their ordeals that he should never have been involved with in the first place. For now, she could at least tend to his injury which unfortunately for him was in the same spot when he had been driven down by the door.

"Link? Are you ok?" she asked, '_Course not he is, you idiot. _

Though Link's eyes were closed, he couldn't help but laugh. Laughing! Of all the things he could be doing or saying, he was laughing for Nayru's sake. _Was this even real?_

Through his laughter, Link was able to mutter "I'm alright. I would deal with that pig than a real live one any day." He opened his eyes, which unknowingly (to him) set Zelda up in an awed-like trance as she saw the ultramarine blue eyes once more.

Link cocked his head to the side before saying "Um…" he immediately realized the position he was in and hastily stood up, startling Zelda a bit at his sudden action. As he stood up however, he forgot his balance was still not in fine-tune as he was before being punched and immediately felt as if he was being pushed forward. Just as he was about to fall over, Zelda was quick to grab his arm and pull him upright once more. The sudden movements had caught Link off-guard and he instinctively put a hand to his head to relieve the throbbing in his head.

Zelda quickly took notice as she whispered, "Link? Is there anything I can do for you?" she placed a dainty finger on his forehead

Link froze. He cringed involuntarily at this which Zelda immediately took notice.

"Link?" she asked, concerned of his well-being

"Hm? Oh I'm fine." Link answered hastily "As I was saying, it will take more than Ganon's fists to put me out." Link said, cracking his own neck

Zelda stared at him with awed eyes, unbelieving that someone could act so nonchalant of these events and still maintain some humor even after being injured…twice.

"Oh, by the way," Link said, interrupting Zelda's thoughts and focusing her attention on Link's next words "is Ganondorf always this pigheaded?"

Zelda let out another bitter laugh "Like you wouldn't believe. He even insisted that he must be the reincarnation of the Demon King during the era of the Hero of Skies."

Link laughed "Wow. Pigheaded and pompous. Can't get any better than that. If he claims to be so, then I must be the Hero of Time and you, the Princess of Destiny." Unexpectedly, Link bowed and held out a hand, and chivalrously spoke "Will ye princess, allow me, a humble man escort thee to thy cafeteria?"

Despite her earlier thoughts, she couldn't help but consent to his offer "Of course my dear humble subject". With a soft giggle, she placed her hand in his and was surprised to find his hand was coarse but so gentle when gripping hers. She blushed softly and was thankful that his attention was focused on finding the cafeteria and not on her. As they stood right by the cafeteria door, Link opened one of the double doors all the way and bowed his head with a hand to his heart and spoke "Ladies first. Thank ye for accompanying me dear lady. I have the honor to remain, Madam, Your Highness's most humble and obedient subject." He looked up at her and Zelda stood stunned at Link's words before grinning and addressing him back "My dear humble subject, for escorting me, I dub thee Sir Link of Hyrule High."

He grinned back at her and it wasn't until he and Zelda noticed that they were being stared at did they finally give up their acts and went and sat back down with their respective group members.

As Link sat down, his brothers merely stared at him knowingly before he asked "What?" feeling uncomfortable at the intense stares he was receiving.

Dark shuffled over to him before poking his arm "Ooh, Link you girl chaser." Annoyed, Link pushed his hand away before rubbing the spot where his brother poked him. He turned to face the other group members, each sporting the same knowing look.

Wulf was the first to speak up, "So Link, got a good reason as to why we saw you entering with Zelda Harkinian?"

Link sighed and before he knew it, began explaining everything that happened to him after leaving the cafeteria.

Zelda, meanwhile was explaining to her group what happened.

"Wait, let me get this straight," Marin interrupted "You mean to say that you opened the door and he coincidentally was standing on the other side and you hit him straight in the nose?"

"Yes," Zelda sighed for what felt like the fiftieth time in the whole day "I was just so frustrated that I wasn't thinking straight and next thing I know, I see him standing on the other side cradling his nose." She ran a head through her hair "Goddesses, I feel stupid for doing that. He must think of me as some klutzy idiot."

"Zelda, never call yourself that." Ilia assured her, resting one hand on her friend's. "If it makes you feel any better, I had a similar experience with Wulf."

At this, Zelda perked up, hanging on to every word to what her friend was going to say who exhaled slowly before saying embarrassingly "I actually…er, pushed Wulf by accident by the stairs a couple weeks ago." Ilia's face turned bright red "I've never felt so humiliated until that moment. I thought for sure he was going to yell at me but he simply laughed it off and carried my books for me." Ilia let out an anxious laugh, "Now that I think about it, he and Link act so much alike."

"Yippee for you." Midna spoke "You and Zelda have brave knights, Hilda has a timid tutor, and I get the one boy who can't stop following me around. Life's fair, ain't it?"

"Maybe if you just gave him a chance…"

Midna riled up "Oh no. I am not going out with a guy who can't keep his perverted thoughts to himself or resist the temptation to possibly put a snake on my neck."

With that said, she stood up and left the room leaving the other cheerleaders dumbfounded at what had just occurred.

**End of Last Class:**

"Everyone ready to go home!" Raven exclaimed as he closed his locker

"I would say the same thing but I have to work today." Wulf and I spoke at the same time; we looked at each other and burst out in laughter. Through my half-closed eyelids, I noticed Raven rolling his eyes and beckoning us with his fingers to get moving

"Oh, right. I forgot about that." Raven spoke, looking back at us. He chuckled "I know you two don't have work in a few more hours. How about I take you out to eat? My treat."

"SWEET!" Wulf and I exclaimed again, earning a few confused stares from the rest of the student body

"Is Ravio working today too for his internship?" Raven asked

"Uh, I don't know. Ask him." I answered

"Wulf, do you know?" Wulf shook his head

"Well, wherever he is, he better hurry up and find us because all I want to do is go home and get some- OOF!"

Wulf and I instinctively reeled back as we saw Raven falling back unceremoniously with an orange-haired woman clasped in his arms. With an "oomph", Raven fell back on to the floor, still clutching to the thoroughly embarrassed orange-head who was apologizing profusely "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she squealed as she pushed herself up and helping my brother get off the floor "Please forgive me! I didn't mean to run into you! I was just-"

"No problem, Marin. Accidents happen." Raven cut in, sitting up and grabbing the fallen papers surrounding him. As Wulf and I kneeled down to help, Raven hastily grabbed the papers nearest to us and shakily organized them as neatly as possible. With confused stares, Wulf and I looked at each other before noticing Raven's fidgeting hands and the pinkish lines tinting his face. Inwardly, I smirked at his behavior and I knew Wulf was thinking the same because I could see that twinkle in his eye when I looked back at him. We stood up and kept a blank face as we waited for our brother to finish.

"Um, Marin. I wanna tell you something. Marin, I assure you. I'm fine." Raven half-said and half-laughed as he brushed off her attempts to dust off the dirt that had clung to his dark brown shirt. "It's not like you ran me over. Oh wait, too late." He laughed

Surprisingly, she laughed along with him as Wulf and I stood awkwardly in the background. As much as we were entertained with this event, I felt the pangs of hunger hitting my stomach despite having eaten not long ago. Hey, I got a fast metabolism. Just the thought of work is enough to send me to the nearest food place. They continued joking with each other before Wulf subtly coughed which brought a small, barely noticeable frown to his face.

"Oh, please excuse me. I, er, gotta go. I promised these two knuckleheads-" he pointed at us "that I would treat them today."

Marin laughed warmly "I understand. I'll…try not to run into you. Bye!" she said hurriedly as she sped in the other direction. _Talk about awkward._

Slowly, I felt my face creep into mischievous smile. With my hand on one shoulder and Wulf's hand on the other, I joked "Wow, Raven. I've never seen you this red before. In fact, your face almost matched her hair."

Wulf snickered "Well, Link. Should I go get Raven's siren and see if she will play a ballad for him? Just to see how long he lasts."

Raven pushed us away "Knock it off you two." He said annoyed but there was a hint of humor in his tone "And quiet. Do you want to broadcast it to the whole school too?"

"Who knows? Maybe you'll be famous." I answered back "Just like the Hero of Ages."

"Oh please. With those poems you wrote for Zelda, I could make you as famous as the Hero of Time." Raven retorted

Wulf laughed. I gulped. _He knew about those!_

"Though," Raven thought aloud "Those wooden carvings that Wulf has from the ranch will be a great gift. Wulf, is it true, you made those wood carvings for…what's her name, Ilia?"

Wulf's earlier amusement morphs into a horrified expression. His bug-eyed, mouth agape expression says it all. He stutters "I do not-"

"Those quick to deny are usually those that committed the crime." Raven says mysteriously before finally opening the door that leads out to Hyrule High

* * *

"Hey Raven. Thanks for taking us out." I say as I bite into my burger

"Any time guys." Raven says back with a thankful smile "You deserve a break after all."

It's quiet for a few minutes as we eat our burgers in companionable silence. I get the ball rolling again as I tease "So, Raven-"

"I know what you're gonna say. So here's the deal, I'll tell you if you tell me your story first." Raven responds with a bargain. _I hate being in situations like this_

"Fine…" I groan after a couple moments of silence, putting my burger down as I begin "I started liking Zelda when I found out that she was into the same interests as I was."

"How did you find out if you've never actually talked to her?" Wulf asks before taking another large bite into his burger

I grin at him before saying "Let's just say I got excellent camouflage skills." I boast as I sit back

"Or you possibly went to your friend, Navi, the school's newspaper editor about her." Raven replies deadpanned

"I only went in there once just to ask about clubs at the school." I explain, sitting back up "She just gave me some useful information as I let her continue talking about Zelda… Who knew she would be interested in ocarinas? Your turn. "

"I was sitting in the library trying to finish up a geoscience project. Marin happened to be there and she gave some useful information about the sea." Raven explains simply as he takes a sip of his water "She seemed really sweet and when I was done, she and I just talked."

"Are you sure that's not what really happened?" Wulf teases

"I can assure you that everything is 100% true." Raven answers calmly

"I'm not so sure about that. For all we know, you could have just so easily passed the music room and been listening to Marin sing during choir practice." I teasingly state

"I told you, I don't-" Raven hastily tries to respond

"Those quickest to deny are usually the ones that committed the crime." I smile as I echo his final words before we left school earlier today

"Well played." Raven smiles right back. There is a few minutes of silence as he picks off a couple of fries "Good job Grasshopper."

I throw him a bewildered look. "Really, Raven?" I groan "Must you call me by that name?"

"You are my younger brother. I can call you as I please." Raven replies calmly as he dips a fry into his ketchup

"So is Wulf." I argue back as I point to my younger brother who is apparently taking amusement in this situation as he stuffs fries as if he were an Ordonian chipmunk.

"Correction…You were born right after me meaning that as your only older brother, I can call you by any name as I wish. You get to address Wulf, Dark, and Ravio as any name as you please. Therefore, I rule over you in terms of age."

I look at him, trying to make sense of what he just said before finally answering back "Then who gets to call you by a pet name?"

"The Three" Raven says as he points up "and Gran, too."

"You confuse me a lot of the time, you know that Raven?" I state

"Good, that shows I'm teaching you right."

"Teaching me what exactly?"

"The world."

* * *

I walk into the house. Once I set down my backpack, I stretch my sore limbs. I feel a few cracks here and there. Once I lay down on the couch, I feel the full force of the pain. Everyone is buying pets early this week and for some reason, more people are looking for exotic creatures. Unfortunately, as one of the few people who could actually work with the not-so-usual pets, I've been pretty busy. Running here and there, bending, lifting; I feel as if my fingers have been gnawed through thanks to the Desbrekos and Deep Pythons that came from Termina. Anything that feels furry gives me goose bumps because that only reminds me of the Skulltulas on my skin earlier today (Note to self: pay attention so that a kid doesn't purposefully put them on you when you aren't looking). I stroke my wrist gingerly over the bite mark made earlier by an escaping Dodongo that someone apparently forgot to close the door to its aquarium.

"Ouch." I hiss as I gingerly run my finger over the bite mark that makes a strange U-shape across my wrist once I take off my bandage. I inspect for any more signs of damage but it appears everything is fine. The doctors did a fine job, I have to admit. I groan again as I remember that I have yet to finish some of my other homework (not to mention how to ask Zelda to the dance). After a day like this, I just want to go to sleep.

I feel myself floating into sleep but then…

"Hello! Everyone, I'm home! Gran! Raven! Link! Ravio! Dar- Oh hey Link. There you are." Wulf says, crossing into the living room where I'm at. I can visualize pretty easily what his face looks like just judging by the sound of his voice without even opening my eyes "Tough day?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." I answer back "Seriously, who forgets to close the aquarium for an overgrown lizard for Farore's sake?" I question rhetorically before finally opening my eyes

His lips pull into an amused grin "I don't know. Maybe someone who forgets to close the cucco coop." He retorts smartly

"Bite me." I retort back, not wanting to remember that particular memory

"I think the Dodongo took care of that already."

"I hate you."

"Love you too, Link."

We both laugh heartily at our silly battle of wits. At one point, I start snorting which causes Wulf start laughing harder making him snort along with me. We clutch our sides from laughter before a voice calls us.

"Oy! You little piglets done down there?" Ravio yells from another room, most likely the computer room where we spend our time doing homework, his voice is a little muffled as he adds "I'm trying to study."

I cup my hands around my mouth "Sorry! We little piglets are hungry!"

Wulf copies me as he adds "Give us some food."

"There's some food in the microwave!" Ravio answers back "And what am I, Wulf? Your maid?"

"You're my caring little brother who never fails to feeds us." Wulf answers back confidently

"As I've been told many times before." Ravio replies "Now just eat in peace so that I can actually do homework." The house goes quiet again as Ravio proclaims his last sentence. Wulf and I are left in silence as what has occurred sink in.

"You're cooking." Wulf tells me "I'm taking a shower." With that, he speeds off in the direction of the bathroom before I can protest; I sigh as I tromp my way into the kitchen. When I open the microwave door, there is nothing there… It doesn't take long before it finally hits me- _Dark._ _Someday, I'm going to get that little weasel. _I shut the door and open the refrigerator. Greens. More greens. Carrots. Good lord I'm looking for food not to become a rabbit. My brain barely processes the groaning of the shower knobs turning as I rummage through the food we have.

Finally, I grab some eggs and a bowl from a nearby cabinet and stir them into a bowl as I add a bit of milk to the mixture. I turn the cook top till the gas flame is at a stable medium-low before finally putting the oil- laden pan on top. Because I started a bit early, I drum my fingers over the counter top waiting for the pan to heat at the right temperature. I am just about to sit down and wait before I notice the small TV Gran usually sets up to watch her morning shows. This time, though, I notice a video recorder right next to the miniature TV set. I furrow a brow as I inspect the device. _Why would Gran have this out?_

Curiously, I press the small rectangular button that indicates "On" and immediately the screen shows me videos from years past. I laugh nostalgically from the screenshots as I see my brothers in ridiculous costumes back in our middle school years.

One particular screenshot gets my attention as I see my brothers and I on a stage with my mouth open right behind a microphone. I only faintly remember this particular memory so I immediately play it, trying to gauge what I had been doing in that video.

The video begins with an empty, close-curtained stage. I hear a piano playing in the background though the angle of the recorder does not place me where the music is coming from. However, the music is strangely familiar to me as it goes on. No more than fifteen seconds later, the curtain finally opens and I can hear Gran gasping from right behind the camcorder in the video. My mouth drops open but pulls up into an embarrassed grin as I see myself and my brothers in garishly white suits walking up close to the front of the stage, each of us with a headset microphone. I am not a fashion expert but I know for sure we must have been fashion disaster victims. Ignoring this little detail, I get back to focusing on the video. I notice my brothers and I going into a staggered line formation as the sound of the piano dies down and the tempo starts picking up.

The recorder zooms in a little more, allowing me to better see my own pre-teen face. With large, expressive eyes and a boyish grin on my face, I look wholly innocent in the recording. Amazingly, once the tempo kicks in, I begin singing… and dancing. For sure, my eyes are wide as saucers. The song is simple but even then I'm surprised I've forgotten this. I remember doing this as part of the talent show in my middle school before we moved here to the city. The dance steps are simple like the song, but it's not entirely free-style dancing either. My movements are on-point with my brothers who are also singing the song with seamless transitioning. As the song comes to a close, I slowly sit back in my seat, an idea forming in my mind.

"Hello." I whisper the name of the song I just heard "I think I just found my idea on how to ask Zelda to the dance."

* * *

**A/N" So tell me how I did. Read and Review. I really want to be able to perfect my writing so please tell what I should do to do better.**


	2. Chapter 2

I get up the next morning tiredly. I yawn particularly loudly once I get out of the shower. If it weren't for the cold tiles, I would have been sleepwalking to breakfast right now.

I am so tired right now; I nearly walk into the wall instead of the open door that leads to the small dining table. As I sit down, I rub my eyes. Wulf seems to notice as he shuffles towards me and asks "Tired, huh?"

"O gee, you just realized." I say without thinking but just as I am about to apologize he pats my shoulder and shuffles back towards his plate.

I groan once more and pray to the Goddesses I don't end up falling asleep into my own breakfast.

Next thing I know, I am wedged in the back seat between Dark and Ravio, the former tapping his fingers against the door while listening to his IPod which is on high volume listening to the music that would surely give Gran cardiac arrest if she were to hear the words said in the songs, Ravio is sitting patiently with a Rubix Cube in hand shuffling it around so that the colors match up. Save for the constant shuffling made by the toy and Dark's IPod, it is quiet in the car. I hadn't talked to anyone yet about my idea, not even Wulf. It's kinda a lot to ask for but I guess now would be perfect time.

"Hey guys." Everyone turns to me, except for Raven since he is driving but I could tell he is listening to me by the way his pointed ears are perked up. "I-I have a proposition for you all. But I have to know…er, how do I word this?"

Wulf speaks up for me "Just spit it out."

A long silence ensues…until I finally ask "How would you feel about... composing poetry?"

Dark speaks up first "Why the hell would you ask that?" Wulf and Ravio seem to be baffled by the situation as well; even Raven is confused as I note his raised eyebrow

"I'm not making this clear, am I?…Look guys. That's not what I am asking. I am asking that you… sing a song along with me. We know that the dance is coming up and let's at least try to do something memorable for senior year…And no Dark, we are not letting some pigs run around the school as a senior prank." Dark shuts his mouth in response

I sigh, rubbing a hand through my hair "I know you guys haven't had so much success yet, neither have I. So let's band together and do something that no one will ever expect." They already know what I mean when I say _we _haven't had so much success.

"What else does this entail?" Ravio asks confusedly and worriedly

I laugh at his expression, "Don't worry, nothing bad. Just a song we'll sing for them…At the actual dance itself." There is a pregnant silence that follows before someone else responds.

"What's the song, Link?" Raven questions from the front. I pull out a CD; I took the liberty last night to burn the song on it.

"Now guys, just hear me out. You want to impress. Let's try something that no one will expect." I silence myself and the group as the song begins its introduction.

* * *

Wulf and Raven immediately are on board once I fully explain what we're going to do. With a little talking to, Ravio came around and Dark…took a little convincing but relented since he knew that his chances with Midna would be zip if he tried nothing else. Of course the problem was when we could practice for the song. I mean, even though we did it before, we're still pretty rusty on our dancing abilities

We promised that we would meet during lunchtime in the dance room for a little more privacy and practice.

As I walk into my first class, Mr. Tingle, my government teacher looks at me confusedly before I take a seat. As I passed him, I notice him walking up to me which immediately causes me to tense for some reason. _I haven't forgotten anything have I?_

"Mr. Link Avalon" Mr. Tingle addresses me in his strange, high-pitched voice "I thought you transferred."

It's my turn to be confused. "I beg your pardon, sir. I've been in this class since I first came here."

He shook his head "Don't tell me you have forgotten. You came in here yesterday asking me to sign the class form. You're in the AP Government class now."

_The long hallway echoed my hurried footsteps. I glanced for the door that would lead to Mr. Tingle's room. I reached the end of the hallway and there was Mr. Tingle on his computer. He was apparently on prep time. I timidly knocked on the door._

_Mr. Tingle's face contorted in confusion before it finally broke out into a wide smile. He leaped out of his own chair and hurriedly made his way to open the door._

"_Good afternoon Mr. Tingle." I greeted politely "I'm sorry for bothering you."_

"_Oh, no,no,no! You haven't bothered me Mr. Avalon." Mr. Tingle reassured me "Is there a reason for your arrival? Did you want to talk about the Kinstones, or perhaps The Heroes of Legend?" Mr. Tingle asked as he propped himself into his own seat. _

_Though I wished to talk with him, I needed to get my own business taken care of. "Actually, sir. Could you sign this form for me?" I asked as I gave him the class form_

_He took the paper in his small little hand and read it over carefully, I felt my heart drop a bit as he looked back at me solemnly "Ah, so you're going into the advanced courses aren't you?"_

_I nodded back, unsure of what he would do next. I was taken by surprised as he looked back at me with excitement written all over his face. "Well, you may not be in my class anymore, but Ms. Impa will be glad to have a student like you." My spirits lifted and he hurriedly signed his own signature into the paper. I was about ready to leave before I told him "Thank you, sir."_

_He shook his head, "No, thank you Mr. Fairy." He said, using the nickname that he made for me on the first day of school; I apparently took the spitting image as the Hero of Time and he hasn't let go of the name since. "Come and visit when you can." I heard him say before I finally left_

"Oh, oops." I say recalling the memory

He let out a strange squeaking laugh "You may want to hurry now. The bell rings in another minute."

With that, I sped off.

I veer into the next hallway, just barely avoiding falling face first into the floor. As I turn, the bell rings. _Shit. _The bell rings it last toll as I finally make it into the right classroom. There is Ms. Impa waiting at the foot of the door and already, her calculating red eyes are scrutinizing my windblown appearance. I feel everyone else's eyes on me.

I draw myself up to my full height before explaining "Please forgive me, Ms. Impa. I walked into the wrong class this morning."

I hear a little giggling from the class which causes me to blush a little. Her eyes seem to soften before she replies in a firm voice "Do not let it happen again Mr. Avalon." She says simply before directing me to an empty seat.

As I take my seat, I feel someone tap my shoulder. I turn back and barely manage to stop my mandible from dropping. The person, more like a lady, is sitting in her own chair with perfect posture. Her crystal blue eyes are watching me insightfully, her beautiful lips are drawn up in easy smile and her beautiful blonde hair is oh-goddesses; I nearly forget to breathe as I take in the sight of her.

"Hey." Zelda says once I turn to her

It takes a few moments for me to register what she just said-"Hello." I reply back, thankfully not sounding too breathy

Her smile widens even more "It's great to see you too."

Before I can respond, someone else does it for me "Mr. Avalon, I would greatly appreciate if you do not bother Ms. Harkinian." Ms. Impa says from the front of the room

I blush but Zelda answers for me "Sorry, Ms. Impa. I was letting him know that he had something on his shirt."

I suppress the impulse to drop my jaws again. _She's covering for me. _Ms. Impa disturbs my thoughts "Ah, my apologies. But if there is a situation as simple as this, I am sure it can wait till the end of class." She says as she passes out several papers.

With her strong, powerful voice, she addresses the whole class "Everyone, as I'm sure, some of you may remember; the 'We the People' competition is nearly upon us. These sheets I am passing out to you will be the score guides the judges will use in the competition. I hope all of you have actually taken the time to finish your speeches. Everyone, please gather together with your group members. Mr. Avalon, I will explain to you later, or actually, Ms. Harkinian, can you explain to him as I fetch more copies."

With that she rushes out of the class, a paper in hand, leaving everyone to talk amongst themselves once the door finally shuts. I could hear murmurs of discontent and uneasiness. I feel another tap on my shoulder and I turn around again, Zelda's face is close to mine as I feel my body grow unbelievably hot for room temperature.

"So, what is 'We the People'?" I manage to ask without stuttering

Her smile is still there as she tells me "Well, the best way I could describe it is that we all have to compose three speeches and one will have to be presented to a panel of judges. Whatever speech we read, will focus on a certain aspect of government."

"So it's not a debate?" I ask

"No. Just a speech and some follow-up questions we'll have to answer."

I tense a bit as she mentions 'follow-up questions'. "What kinds of questions will the judges ask?" I manage to say before my throat closes up

She seems to notice my red face as she hurriedly assures me "Don't worry. They're not going to ask us individually." My heart rises just a bit "Though it is preferable that we all try to answer the question." My heart sinks again, but only slightly.

"So, when is the competition?" I ask, hoping that I haven't transferred too late with the amount of time left before the actual competition starts

"Not for another two months." She answers back

I relax my shoulders letting out a breath that I had no idea I was holding. "Ok, whoo. I was worried for a minute."

"We've only just finished the second speech so right now; we are still in the process of finishing the last speech." She tells me "Come on, I'll introduce you to my group." She says as she leads me to a table on the other side of the room.

Next thing I know, I am face to face with a young man the same age as me with strange, purple hair and cherry red eyes akin to that of Ms. Impa as well as another guy with a Mohawk and sunken skin. I barely resist the urge to ask if he is alright.

"Link, meet Kafei and Grog." Zelda introduces me

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Link." Kafei politely greets me as he shakes my hand, I smile in return

When I hold out my hand to shake Grog's, he addresses me with an indifferent grunt. I put up a front so that I don't end this situation on an awkward tone.

Thankfully, Ms. Impa returns just in time before the awkwardness settles in. I mumble a quiet thank you when she hands me a paper. I observe Ms. Impa nodding her head in Zelda's direction before she responds in the same manner. When she leaves, I turn to Zelda.

Curiously, I ask "You seem relaxed?"

Before Zelda can respond to my inquiry, Kafei pipes up with an amused grin "Yeah, her bodyguard comes here just to check up on her."

Zelda glares at him playfully before answering my question "She's not my bodyguard, technically but she is…my nanny."

"Whatever, I think 'bodyguard' sounds cooler." Kafei says as he leans back into his own chair

"You're just jealous because my 'nanny' is better than yours." Zelda retorts

"Hey! Since when did I say I ever had a nanny?" Kafei replies

"You're not denying it." Zelda shoots back as she mimics Kafei's posture

"Wait. What? Ugh. Fine, you win." Kafei says in a defeated tone "I'll get you some day, Harkinian. Just watch, one day I'll get you."

"I look forward to it." Zelda simply replies before she turns to me "Sorry, we usually get sidetracked like this."

I blink before I respond to her statement "Oh, no. You're fine. I find it amusing actually." I assure her with a small smile

* * *

At the end of my Hylian Literature class, I weave my way through the sea of students trying to find the door leading to the dance room.

As I make the next turn, however, I collide into something rather large and solid. As I pick myself off the floor, my heart sinks as I look up into the person's golden eyes…Ganondorf.

"Well, look it here." Ganon sneers "It seems Grasshopper here has forgotten his lesson. Shall we teach him again boys?" I hear sniggering from behind and I realize I'm outnumbered especially when I notice some of Ganon's other group members besides Ghirahim; Zant isn't here but Majora and Veran is. Majora reminds me of one of those voodoo masks with his wide yellow eyes that seem to be watching every move. And Veran…let's say she's like a poisonous spider under that sexy humanoid form. _Get a grip on yourself Avalon_.

I realize when Zelda was with me, Ganondorf wouldn't risk hurting both of us. As for me, I am all alone and outnumbered. I duck as Ganon swings a punch at me. I flip backwards as he tries kicking forward. My hands sting at the contact with the floor but I don't care, not when I have an overgrown pig to deal with.

I barely avoid his uppercut when I collide into something behind me. I turn around and realize Wulf smiling back at me before turning his piercing gaze towards Ganondorf who has stopped swinging but instead glares back at both of us with every hated fiber in his being.

"Leave. My. Brother. Alone." Wulf growls menacingly, this is a side of him he rarely shows but is scary to watch nonetheless. The look he has sometimes makes me wonder if he ever has lycanthropic tendencies

Majora appears from behind Ganondorf and just as he is about to strike, Ganondorf stops him which seems to irritate him but nods. Ganondorf turns back to us "Well look it here. Dog Breath wants a beating to. You want it, come and get it son." He sneers as he takes a threatening step forward.

Wulf and I take defensive positions as Ganondorf charges at us. Stepping in front of my brother, I plant myself there causing Ganondorf to duck his head lower. _Perfect_. Just when he is within a second's distance from me do I leap out of the way and instead of Ganondorf running into me, he instead comes into contact with Wulf's broad chest.

I hear Wulf grunt at the contact but I am assured he knows what he is doing and like I predicted, he throws Ganondorf to the side and wipes his hand together once the brute collides roughly with the ground.

With his hair in disarray, Ganon looks like a wild man. His cronies rush to help him but he waves off their help to keep some semblance of dignity, glowering at us he chuckles darkly "Consider yourself lucky Grasshopper, you too Dog Breath." He points to Wulf "Mark my words. We will return. This is just the beginning."

Wulf didn't flinch. In unison we hardened our gazes at Ganondorf's retreating back. Whatever he had in mind, we would be ready. As Ganondorf and his cronies veered into the next hallway, I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to my younger brother "Thanks." I say sincerely

"You're welcome, big bro." Wulf said punching my fist with his own "Come on we're burning daylight."

**30 minutes later:**

In terms of singing, I rock the stage. But dancing is taking a little longer than expected. Not even a minute into the song and already we're all busting out in laughter. The moves are simple, but honestly, we feel a little ridiculous trying to imitate the performers. After a half an hour with virtually no progress in our dancing performance, we take a break and try to hinder ourselves from breaking out into laughter.

"Ok as much fun as it is to be doing this," Dark laughed while sipping his Coke bottle "Do you think that the girls will find us as a bunch of dorks and never want to talk to us ever again?"

I respond "Dark, you already look ridiculous to Midna, what more do you have to lose?"

Dark glares at me and I notice the rest of my brothers smiling into their drinks. Dark seethes "Oh shut up Ponyboy."

I glare back at him which causes him to smirk. I hate it when people called me that. "Shadow Bug." I growl back

"Grasshopper."

"I hate you."

"Ha! I win." Dark gloats triumphantly, raising his hands in the air

"Alright guys. Enough chit-chat. Let's get back to it." Raven interrupts, standing up from his seat and heading over to the large player.

I glare once more at Dark who is still wearing his triumphant smirk on his face. He groans as I elbow him in the ribs. Not enough to cause much pain but just as a reminder. I barely miss his returning elbow as I stand in my spot. However, the overwhelming thought of sending Zelda that note overtakes my nerves but once I hear the music come back on, I try to muster every serious fiber in my being as I perform the next dance routine.

* * *

Zelda sighed to herself as she approached her locker. The essay for Hylian Literature was due tomorrow and tonight was cheer practice. By the time she made it back home, she would have little less than an hour to complete her work before she would have to get to bed. On top of that, her cheerleading partner and friend, Ruto was slacking off again and the Geoscience project was due in less than a week and she was sitting down at home loafing around doing Goddesses-knows-what. _Spreading her legs for someone no doubt. _Zelda thought to herself wryly. Oh well, she could do nothing now. She would have to go along with it.

As Zelda finally opened her locker she was surprised to see a neatly folded small envelope resting easily against her small pile of textbooks. Though she had an idea of what it was, she couldn't help but be intrigued and daintily unfold the small piece of paper that was inside the envelope. She read…

_When I see myself during these times_

_I feel that I really am young_

_Even with you in front of me_

_I don't know what to do_

_Hello, hello_

_I don't know how you feel right now_

_You are different_

_I may be rushing a bit_

_Who knows? Two of us_

She was immediately drawn out of her reading when she heard a scream. "Zelda!"

Whirling around, she was nearly startled into a heart attack as Marin nearly bulldozed into her as she came to an abrupt stop. Her hair was in disarray, she was breathless, but her sea green eyes betrayed her excitement.

"Marin?" Zelda questioned once she calmed herself down "What's wrong?"

"Guess what?!"

"What?"

"I've been asked out!"

"Really who?"

"I-I don't know." Marin said sadly

"YOU don't know?"

"Wait, just hear me out." Marin said as she raised a hand up revealing a small baby blue envelope, the same type of envelope that Zelda just had opened earlier.

"Wait a minute, where did you get that? Zelda questioned with a confused brow

"I just got it in my locker, why?"

"Let me see." Zelda directed as she held out a hand and compared the letters side by side. She shushed Marin as she was about to ask Zelda of her own envelope. "Strange." Zelda mused after a couple minutes of silence

"You got that right. But it's so original. So-"

"Coincidental." Zelda completed, the note Marin had was slightly different but it was also written in an almost similar manner

_Hello, Hello_

_I want to talk to you for a moment_

_This kind of thing is uncommon for me_

_Please believe what I say_

_I believe everything will turn out the way you think it will_

_But it's hard, please believe these words_

_Please give me a chance_

"Wow," was all Zelda could say as she read the letter over again "This is really strange."

"I see what you mean." Marin commented as she read the note given to Zelda, "Yours doesn't have a name either."

Zelda pursed her lips as she studied both letters again. "I see, but what I mean is…"

"Oh, there you are!"

Marin and Zelda spun around; Ilia's voice had caught them off-guard. She was now running to them in the same manner Marin had appeared when she met Zelda. "Ilia, what is it?" Marin queried as the woman came to a complete stop and caught her breath.

"Look at this!" Ilia yelled as she held up a small envelope

"Did you get that out of your locker?" Zelda questioned, completely bewildered of the whole situation

"Yes. And it's not just me. Hilda and Midna got one too." Ilia said as she pointed to the other two ladies who were walking rather calmly towards the trio.

"Sis, you too?" Zelda asked once her sister stood in front of her

Hilda nodded "Yes and if I heard correctly, Zelda, you received one as well?"

"Me and Marin." Zelda answered pointing to herself and Marin who stood right next to her with a confused expression.

"Do you think this is some sort of prank?" Midna questioned as she stared bewilderedly at the four other envelopes

"Could be." Ilia mused "But then again, I received a gift to go along with this." Out of nowhere, Hylia pulled out a small wooden statue molded in her likeness holding onto what could be a Shiekah eye within her small wooden palm

"Wow. That's amazing." Marin said, clearly awed at the object's intricate design

"This isn't the only gift, though." Hilda added, revealing a thin golden bracelet with an upside down purple Triforce inscribed into the metal she had hidden in her pocket.

"You've gotta be joking." Zelda marveled at the precious object she was seeing

"Not just us two. Midna received a gift as well. Come on Middy, show it to them." Ilia beseeched

With a teasing scoff, Midna presented her gift, a soft blush staining her pale blue cheeks, all the while. Within her hands was a mirror but unlike any other mirror, this glass mirror glowed with verses written over it that would reappear and disappear every few minutes. The words read a poem…

_She walks in beauty, like the night_

_Of cloudless climes and starry skies;_

_And all that's best of dark and bright_

_Meet in her aspect and her eyes;_

_Thus mellowed to that tender light_

_Which heaven to gaudy day denies._

_One shade the more, one ray the less,_

_Had half impaired the nameless grace_

_Which waves in every raven tress,_

_Or softly lightens o'er her face;_

_Where thoughts serenely sweet express,_

_How pure, how dear their dwelling-place._

_And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,_

_So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,_

_The smiles that win, the tints that glow,_

_But tell of days in goodness spent,_

_A mind at peace with all below,_

_A heart whose love is innocent!_

"What? A heart whose love is innocent!? That's a laugh." Hilda remarked as the light in the mirror turned dormant.

"Hey. That line may not be right. But I have to give him credit though. It's a really nice gift even if I don't know him." Midna responded, her cheeks blushing madly

"Well whoever gave you these gifts sure is going all out for the chance to be your escorts for the dance." Zelda remarked thoughtfully

"Hey gals! Check this out!"

"Hm?" Everyone responded

Marin whirled around excitedly, holding onto a bird pendant attached to a long thin necklace.

"A seagull?" Midna remarked upon recognizing the species of the bird

"Not just any seagull." Marin replied excitedly as she turned the bird over, studying every detail in length "This is an Outset Island Gull. To even see one of these gulls is considered a great blessing bestowed by Farore herself. I've heard about these when I was still living on Koholint Island." She put it on quickly and with a wide, child-like grin, she sighed happily.

"That leaves you, Cousin." Midna remarked

"Eh? I don't think I received anything either than this." Zelda said as she motioned towards the torn envelope

"Oh come on, Sis. There's gotta be something in that locker of yours." Hilda implored "Go on, check it."

With an exasperated sigh, Zelda followed instructions though she doubted she would find anything. "I'm having my doubts girls." Zelda said as she rummaged through her belongings "I don't see anything either than my- Oh…" Zelda stopped in mid-sentence

"What? What is it, Zelda?" Hilda asked her sister upon realizing her silence

"Is it a gift?"

"Did you get a necklace?

"Come on Zel, what's going on?"

Silently, Zelda turned around and in her delicate hands was the most beautiful instrument that any of them had ever laid their eyes on.

Lying within her palms was a small woodwind instrument known to few as the ocarina. It's shiny blue color akin to that of moving water. Elegant was the piece that its glass-like body shimmered in the low light; a single gold band ran around the piece and engraved within it was the embodiment of the Triforce. A power seeped from within and the feeling spread throughout Zelda's body.

"Wow…" everyone marveled at the piece of beauty that rested before their eyes; the receiver saying nothing as she stared at the grave piece

"An ocarina." Zelda spoke after a few minutes of silence "I haven't seen one in years." She continued to stare at the instrument before her; much like Marin, she turned the instrument in hand, admiring every single detail of the piece. She then noticed something strange. She held the instrument closer to her eye. Sure enough, she was right as she stared closer at the bottom of the mouthpiece. In tiny, yet legible hand writing was the word "Rinku" written on it.

"Rinku?" Zelda spoke aloud to herself as she tasted the name on her lips "I'm sure I've heard this somewhere before."

"Rinku?" Midna reacted, eyebrows scrunching "What kind of name is that?"

"Maybe it's a pet name." Marin suggested

"Or maybe it could lead us as to who sent it to you." Hilda offered

"There's just one problem though. There is no one in our school who has a name close to that." Ilia commented "I mean, have you heard anyone address whoever this person is as 'Rinku'?"

Zelda paid no mind to her sister and friends as they argued over the issue. In fact, all she could think about was who sent this to her. A gift from one's heart was not so unheard of but it was rarely practiced. She smiled to herself, a warm feeling spreading from her bosom as she wondered aloud to herself "I'll be looking forward to meeting you…Rinku."

* * *

**A/N: Ok never mind what I said earlier about this being a two-shot. This should extend another chapter (for sure this time; if it doesn't just doesn't believe what I say about this story after this post). The lyrics mentioned here are not in order so don't start complaining that I was writing the verses wrong; I just did the parts that come from one singer, meaning that…**

**Link=Jonghyun**

**Raven=Onew**

**Wulf=Minho**

**Dark= Key**

**Ravio= Taemin**

**In addition, the poem, for those of you that are curious is by Lord Byron and is known as "She Walks in Beauty". If you don't get what I imply, then I'll say point-blank: I DO NOT OWN THE POEM NOR **_**THE LEGEND OF ZELDA**_**.**

**Anyway…let me know how I did in this chapter. Read and review.**


	3. Chapter 3

"You look deep in thought."

"That's because I am." Zelda responded, her eyes focused on the cloudy sky

"Are you still wondering who your secret admirer is?" Malon asked as she fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist

"Yes." Zelda answered softly still deep in thought

"So you really want to take a chance with a guy who you haven't even met."

"There is life. There is death. And everything in the middle is all extra." Zelda responded to her friend's statement

"Uh…"

"What I mean is, or at least my take on this is… I want to take a chance on someone who could possibly different than be with someone like Marth. Life is much like a game of chances." Zelda explained, her eyes unblinking towards the sky

"Ah, I see. That's a nice way of putting it."

Zelda smiled as the silence pervaded between them. Zelda continued to look towards the sky before she pulled out something within her bag. The small, blue instrument seemed to glow despite the lack of sun. Malon stared curiously at her movement. "Wait. Is that an ocarina?"

Zelda nodded silently, searching for the clue that she had seen earlier. _Rinku_. It still was there plain as day near the mouthpiece.

"Where did you get it from?" Malon asked curiously

"It was in my locker when I saw the letter my admirer addressed to me." Zelda answered, continuing to stare at the mysterious name.

"Ah, I see. Wait…how did that get into your locker if no one else besides you knows how to get in it?"

Zelda's posture shut up. Her eyes wide. "I've never thought about that. The only way you can get in it is if you know the combination…"

"…or someone had a key." Malon finished for her, her dark blue eyes widening "Hey! Maybe we can ask Shiro who had the key to get in your locker. Then you would know who is asking you out."

Zelda smiled, eager to know who had been writing to her. The two girls stood up, their bags in hand. Malon sharply gasped.

"Shoot!" Malon cursed under her breath "Come on Zelda." Malon motioned to her friend, walking immediately away from the person she had seen approaching them hoping her friend wasn't too far behind her

Zelda, not having realized what Malon had saw, grew confused at her retreating figure until she heard the footsteps behind her. Letting out a quiet sigh, she turned around to face the figure. It was Marth…with a group of other students behind him?

"Hey, my little princess." Marth said, emphasizing the last word (though to Zelda's ears, he sounded dimwitted when saying it)

"What is it you wanted Marth?" Zelda sighed, trying not to sound impatient even though she failed to hide the frown that had set on her previously glowing face

Marth shrugged but the hand that was behind his back bent forward where within his grasp were a beautiful set of red roses. How he had managed to hide the large bouquet of roses was a mystery to her.

"Will you come to the dance with me?" Marth pleaded as he lowered himself down to his knees

"No." was Zelda's terse answer

Looking perturbed, he shot up. "What? You would reject me after all I've done for you?!" he shouted

His shouting had drawn in the attention of nearby classmates of theirs who watched the scene with avid interest to see how this would play out.

"The only thing that you've done to me…" Zelda growled in a low, icy tone though her body was trembling "was hurt me the moment you were seeing someone else."

"Zelda…" Marth said, feigning a look of concern for the crowd who were aghast at Zelda's rejection (apparently they had not heard her reason for rejecting Marth) "what I and Veran had in the past is in the past. You're my future now." He drew forward, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder "Please, will you go to the dance with me." The crowd cheered on, pleading for Zelda to accept his proposal

Zelda swallowed thickly, she was going to make it clear why they never were going to go together "Sure you cared about me…just like you cared about so much for Veran that you slept with her." She furiously stated before finally racing away from the scene and pushing herself into the shocked crowd of bystanders. The crowd did nothing to stop her, something that she was grateful for.

Marth, meanwhile stood rooted at the spot. Mouth agape and icy blue eyes wide at the secret she had divulged to the whole school. He was partly aware of the glares that many of the bystanders gave him, others stood emotionless on the sidelines. However all of them, who had initially given him support, were walking away from him.

It was then he realized who walking on a broken foundation of timbers.

His eyes hardened. His grip caused the thorns of the roses cut into the skin. He hardly noticed the blood that poured out onto his palm. She was going to pay. She ripped away all of his dignity…all the respect he gained from the whole school was gone the moment she revealed that little precious secret of his.

She was going to beg that she had taken up his offer.

* * *

"Good job guys." Raven congratulated his brothers as they finished performing another number of the dance.

"I agree. I forgot how much I miss doing this actually." Ravio noted as he sat down on the bench

"Same here. Though belting out the vocals is not as easy as it used to be for me." Link told him as he plopped in his own seat next to his baby brother

"Riiight." Ravio said, rolling his eyes

"I'm serious." Link tried to convince, "Really, it's not that easy."

"Well, I don't see you having too much problem with that big brother." Dark said as he neared his two brothers "Frankly, you seem to be enjoying the moment."

"Ok, I won't lie. I like doing it but I don't want to hurt my voice more than I need to." Link told Dark

"Ah, I see. Grasshopper here is afraid of ruining his precious voice." Dark teased

Link threw his empty water bottle at him. "Hey. I'm serious. You know what happens when our voices are not taken care of."

"Yeah, I see. Grasshopper cracks under the pressure." Dark couldn't help but snort

Link rolled his eyes, half-amused and half-irritated at his behavior. He was going to bring up a verbal retort before someone else cut in—

"Hey Link. Have you told Navi yet that we need a spot for the stage?" Wulf asked from afar clearly enjoying seeing his sibling in this situation

Link jumped having forgotten to tell that to the student council member. "No, I haven't yet. Oh Din. I forgot about that."

"You could go out and tell her now." Raven said, his eyes focusing on his younger brother after looking at the clock. "After all, we have only a few days before the dance."

Link nodded, wanting to get to Navi before the bell rang for the end of lunch. He sped up his pace as he realized he only had ten minutes before it rung.

He bumped into a few people as he walked through the hallways, mumbling a few apologies here and there each time he bumped into someone.

He nearly swallowed his tongue when he walked into the hallway that contained the yearbook room. There stood Zelda, leaning against her locker, her lithe frame shaking. It didn't take long for Link to deduce she was crying.

He didn't know whether to approach her or go into the yearbook room. But the next thing he knew, he was walking towards her, carefully for fear of startling her. His footsteps were soft, still slightly echoing in the vast hallway. Without even thinking, he placed a careful hand on her shoulder.

"Hey. What's wrong, Zelda?" Link gently asked, curious to see the woman standing before him in such a somber state

Her frame stilled, startled by the touch but she did not hesitate to turn around to face him. Her beautiful eyes, red from crying were staring at his tender, subtle loving gaze.

"I-" Zelda tried to speak but she let out a small sob

Link held her hand, squeezing it firmly to reassure her that it was okay. She could cry as much as she needed to. He let her cry into his shoulder. Even though he was curious as to why she was sent into such a state, he wouldn't push her unless she was willing to confess.

Eventually she was able to calm herself together to speak a coherent sentence.

"I'm s-sorry." Zelda spoke though she stuttered slightly from her sobs "I'm making a mess out of you." She wiped her face morosely "Goddesses. I'm…sorry."

"Don't be." Link reassured her "We're even." He noticed her brow furrowed, obviously confused about his statement before she caught on to what he meant

"You were bleeding after _I _hit you with the door." Zelda stated "I still owe you."

Link sighed "Don't think about it now. I want to see you happy."

She let out an uneven breath, one that could pass for a rueful laugh. "I'll be fine…I just need some time."

Link nodded, stepping back to allow her room. A crumpling paper caught his attention. There at the arch of his left foot sat the item. Out of curiosity, he picked it up, not realizing Zelda's surprised expression a few feet from where he stood until he looked up at her.

"Is this yours?" He asked upon realizing her changed expression

Zelda blushed slightly but nodded her affirmation before Link finally handed it to her. He noticed her face as he handed it to her.

"I'm sorry. Did I pry into something I shouldn't have?" Link asked, sincerely hoping that this wasn't the case

She shook her head, "No…it's just a letter that I received from someone."

"Oh…like what, a secret admirer or something?" Link innocently queried

There was a pause before she murmured "Yes." She wasn't sure why she was revealing this much information to him even though she had only brief conversations with him in classes "I was reading this before you came along actually. It helps me feel better." Upon realizing Link's questioning stare, she realized she had told him too much information. She stuttered "Um…"

"Was it your boyfriend?" Link asked, deducing that he was the cause of her trouble based on the information he had learned not long ago when she pushed the door into his nose that day.

She let out a long sigh, unwilling to lie right to him "Yes." She murmured again "Well my ex-boyfriend but please…don't ask me more questions about this. I'm still trying to get over it."

Link nodded, letting her take the time to breathe and recover from whatever encounter she had with the former boyfriend. Not wanting of some heavy atmosphere of silence to settle upon them, Link posed a (hopefully) simple question.

"Who is the letter from?"

Zelda opened her eyes having closed them earlier to repress her memory of her earlier encounter with Marth. She corrected her slouched posture and spoke but not before scratching the back of her neck to hide the red flush that was appearing on her throat "I'm not sure—I-I mean I don't know to be honest with you. I was given this yesterday." She reluctantly handed it to him. "You can read it for yourself if you want."

Link immediately recognized his own handwriting as she tried to give the paper. Though he was tempted to look and see if he wrote everything correctly, it didn't feel right of him to be looking at something that was of personal value to her even if it was something he gave to her. He gently pushed her fingers away from him.

"I can't. It wouldn't be right of me to do so." Link said "But, if you allow me to be so forward, what do you think of this admirer of yours?" he asked hoping to hear her thoughts of what she thought about his letter

Zelda said nothing for a few moments, considering what sort of response she could give him. She finally settled on something that tested him. "Promise not to tell anyone?"

He made an 'x' over his left pectoral "A promise is a promise, though I assure you if you don't want to tell I completely understand." Link said, even though he was curious as to what she had to say, the last thing he wanted was to do something that could hurt her like what happened between her and her former boyfriend. After all, he knew the pain too well. A girl that he was rather enamored while he was still living on Outset had caught his attention. Despite her poor origins and coming from a different island, she was rather kind and humble towards Link and he couldn't help but fall in love with Maggie, the poor girl from Windfall Island. That was…until she met Moe.

"Link?"

"Please forgive me. I was dwelling on my thoughts." Link apologized "Can you repeat what you said?"

She sighed for perhaps the dozenth time though her face was still flushed from having to explain her own feelings about this secret admirer of hers.

"I don't know much about him. But all I know is, I really want to take a chance at this one even though it sounds like such a great risk. I just…I don't know. I want something different in my life."

"And what does 'different' mean for you, Zel?" Link spoke casually to her though he did not realize it himself

Zelda was briefly stunned at the nickname he gave her before whispering her next words "I just want to be in a relationship in which I see myself with a future with my boyfriend…not just in the present, not just some picture-perfect photo of a time long gone." She hugged herself as if to shield herself from the reality of it all. She let out a mirthless, ironic laugh "Stupid, right? Like I'm wishing myself to be one of those princesses in fairy tales."

"No." Link spoke behind her with firm resolve in his tone "Do not think for one second that it is stupid it all. Even if it seems bleak now, I'm sure that there will come a time in which it will come true."

She looked back at him, surprised at his answer. How could she talk so casually with a boy that she barely knew while she couldn't gauge such a discussion with her ex-boyfriend when they were dating? But even his sage answer couldn't stop her from voicing her next thought "And how can you be so sure of it, Link? The world rarely-"

"Because I bear defeat without losing heart." Was his simple, yet so powerful answer

She stared at him. For a long while, she couldn't help but stare at this boy—no man before her. He was such a brave soul. She had never felt such elation of the burden being carried away from her shoulders just by someone speaking such words of wisdom to her. He was something that no other person her age could even compare. She was glad now that she had pushed the door that day.

"Thank you…Link." She whispered, somewhat overcome by her emotions as those words sunk into her mind

"It twas a pleasure, princess." Link replied, amusement laced in his tone as he defaulted into his quirky personality

She smiled back at him "Are we in the Era of the Hero of Time now?" she asked rhetorically, crossing her arms

He grinned cutely back at her, an action that made Zelda's insides flip flop as he flashed that look to her. He put his hands behind his back, rocking back and forth on his heels "Maaybe." He sang

"You really are a weird person, you know that Link?" Zelda told him as her smile broadened "Don't let anyone change that about you." Without even thinking, she hugged him at his midsection, letting her head rest on his chest where she could hear the strong beating of his heart. Link hesitated, but finally wound his arms around her too, relishing in the fact that he was allowed to hold Zelda in such a way. Though he knew he had to talk to Navi, he had a duty to ensure Zelda's happiness.

From afar, a set of cross eyes stared at the couple. His icy blue eyes narrowed to a thin line, the veins in his neck throbbing; his hands twitched. Marth venomously stared down at the oblivious couple.

"That should be me there with you." Marth muttered, purely disgusted at the scene set before him "Pretty soon, you'll learn that my offer was much more pleasant than what I have left in store,_ princess_." He spat the last words as if it were dirt in his mouth. "Just watch, I will make you _mine_." He walked away with light footsteps as he headed in the opposite direction where he would set his plan in motion.

* * *

"Finally, we're home." Wulf stated as Raven put the vehicle in park

"Huh? Are we, really? Thank the goddesses." Link replied groggily from the front seat, he unbuckled his seatbelt, he hissed as the belt brushed his new wound

"Dodongo escaped again?" Wulf sighed as heard his brother moan from the pain

"Yep." Link grunted "The Pythons decided to make me lunch too." He motioned toward his bandaged fingers."

"Does this happen often Link?" Raven questioned worriedly as he inspected the bites left on his brother's skin

"Normally, no because I wear gloves but one of my co-workers misplaced theirs and I let them borrow mine."

"Sometimes I think you're too nice for your own good, Link." Raven stated

Link shrugged "I'm used to dealing with the wackiest animals anyway. They need them more than I do. I'll live."

The trio quietly entered the home. Upon closing the door, they heard a crash from what sounded like the bedroom.

"Gran?!" the three boys yelled darting towards the source, worried that their guardian was the one who made the crashing sound

Wulf ran just a few steps ahead of his older brothers. Upon opening the door, his face tightens. His brothers stop behind him trying to get a look at what was going in inside. Raven sighs as he stares at the scene before them while Link merely rolls his eyes.

"I need to borrow Sheerow." Dark says, pointing to Ravio's pet bird that was zooming around the room squawking wildly

"Not a chance, last time you asked him to help you, he ended up getting stuck in the neighbor's yard with Vaati! You know what Vaati does to birds!" Ravio exclaimed "I'm not letting that happen again."

"He's not going to Vaati's backyard to retrieve my ball; he's going to help me look for something in THIS house." Dark protested

"Okay! Break it up." Raven intervened before Ravio could respond, the two youngest stared at him

"Dark, wait outside." Raven spoke calmly, gesturing outside of the bedroom "Ravio, please help me clean this up and please give me a GOOD reason why you needed to argue something this trivial. Gran is asleep."

Dark muttered a curse under his breath as he was chastised for his actions. Link and Wulf stood by silently as Dark passed them. When the door shut loudly behind them, Wulf cringed before going off to help clean up the mess Sheerow made. Link was about to join before turning back and considering talking to Dark in Raven's steed. After all, they had enough hands and Link was in no mood to deal with any more animals.

Link shut the door quietly behind him as he marched in the hallway looking for Dark. It wasn't hard as heard the sounds of screams of men dying in agony and the sounds of a rapid-firing machine gun. Link walked into the den room where all the games they had accumulated over the years were shelved. As he walked inside, he hopped down the two stairs towards the couch where Dark sat playing what Link assumed to be _Modern Warfare_.

As Link sat down, Dark made no motion that he'd seen or heard his brother sitting down beside him. His eyes were merely focused on the TV darting every now and then to find a hidden enemy on the screen.

"What were you two arguing about?" Link asked, getting straight to the point.

Dark appeared to ignore him but a few seconds later, he paused the screen and sat back on the couch. Link waited patiently for him to say something.

"How do you do it Link?"

The question caught Link off-guard "What?"

"How…How do you get girls to like you? How is it that you can ask just about every girl and win them head over heels?" Dark asked again to clarify what he meant

"How is this related to the question I asked you earlier?" Link asked, confused as to why his brother was asking him this

Dark threw his arms up in the air "Forget it!" he made to exit the room through the door Link had come through earlier but Link stopped him by slamming a palm on the door preventing Dark from opening it

"Leave me." Dark growled, facing his brother

"Not until we talk about this." Link quipped as he crossed his arms "What were you talking about earlier?"

Dark turned away from him, hiding his face. It was something he'd always done when he wasn't getting his way.

"Don't give me that attitude." Link scolded

"I'm an adult! I can do whatever I say and want." Dark quipped, his anger flaring

"Yet you have the mental age of a five year old." Link scolded back, his temper slowly rising

"Leave me alone!"

Dark ran off hoping to escape through the other door that would lead to the bathroom, hoping to escape his brother's questions. Link managed to catch up with him. He strongly gripped Dark's shoulder.

"Leave me alone!" Dark shouted again, not hesitating to take a shot towards Link's face

Link ducked to the side, avoiding Dark's punch. But out of instinct, he punched back towards Dark which thankfully missed his face but his closed fist came into contact with the wall.

Link felt the sickening crack in his fingers and immediately, pain shot up through his arm. He immediately fell to the ground, feeling as if the wind knocked the air out of him, he was sure that he broken something. He felt warm liquid running through his hand and as he looked back at the wall he punched at. He saw the red mark and deduced he was bleeding.

"Link, Link! Are you all right?" Dark's earlier anger subsided and was immediately replaced by concern for his brother.

"My hand." Link was able to mutter, holding up the wounded body part

"Get up; we need to move you onto the couch."

Link did as he was told though he felt strangely dizzy upon standing. He plopped down on the cushions with a relieved sigh.

"I'll be back." Dark stated before rushing out of the room with haste

Link took the time to look down at his right hand. The blood seeped through the bandage and the bite marks made earlier that day served as empty pools for the running blood. Link carefully tested out his fingers, he cried out in pain as the middle joints attempted to straighten out. For certain, Link must have broken all his fingers.

Dark came back in the room, a med kit in hand. "Put your hand on the armrest." Dark directed him. Link obeyed, not bothering to protest. Dark stared at his hand in interest. "Where did you get these bandages from?"

"Work." Link quickly replied before hissing in pain as Dark carefully removed the stained bandages

"Sorry." Dark whispered, Link was sure that meant more than just removing the bandages. "What happened at work?" Dark asked curiously as he went to work

"Some pythons mistook my fingers for raw sausages." Link spoke using as little words as possible due to the pain brought on by Dark cleaning up the mess. "Had a Dodongo escape its cage too. Ouch. Had to wrestle it back in."

"Seriously?"

"Not lying."

"Wow.

"Not the first time too." Link grunted as he cringed at the pain brought on by Dark moving his fingers around in his pale hand

"When was the last time?"

"This is the fourth time this month."

"What kind of pet store does the owner run?" Dark asked in disbelief, his tone betraying his curiosity as he watched Link wide-eyed

"Apparently having a son as a manager who has no goddamn common sense." Link grunted again, his frustration showing through for the first time talking about his job, he laughed with irony "Big enough to beat a boar with a big stick but he's dumb enough to do it."

Dark laughed at his brother's joke, glad that the mood was lighting up from their previous exchange, the brief reminder of that only quickly ended his mirth and he found himself frowning again a few seconds later, he sighed "I'm sorry, Link."

"For what?"

"What d'ya mean for what? You punched a wall."

"So? Why are you apologizing? You don't have to be sorry for anything."

"You punched a wall for Farore's sake! How can you not be mad at me?!"

"Tell you what." Link said, sitting up in the chair as Dark had already cleaned up the mess and given a new bandage for the injured body part, Dark sat on the coffee table "If you tell me why you were so upset earlier, then maybe…I can consider your apology."

Dark opened and closed his mouth, clearly at a loss of words; his brother had just cornered him by using one of the oldest tricks in the book. He should have seen this coming. Sure he considered his brother eccentric at times but he was surprisingly manipulative when the situation called for it. From previous experience, there was no way he was going to evade him again. Even if he escaped now, Link would never left him in peace. Personally he would have rather slept in the pig pen than confess to his brother.

Dark bit his lip, and sighed deeply wondering how he was going to explain this without losing his dignity (or at least what was left of it). It took him some time, but he found himself spilling out something that he never confessed to anyone… not even to himself "Link, how is it you get girls to like you?" he asked with overwhelming curiosity

Link jerked his head back, "Come again?"

"You? How do you make things so easy? Why is it you can charm the ladies when I, an exact dark copy of you cannot?" Dark clarified with frustration creeping in his tone

"Dark? I don't charm them-"

"You do! Link! How can you not realize that?! The ladies gawk over you!" his voice suddenly became high-pitched "Oh! Look at the hunk, there! Look at his eyes! They're gorgeous! Oh my gosh! I'm going to faint if he comes this way! I bet he is a god in-"

"Ok! Stop! Stop!" Link interrupted not needing to hear the rest of Dark's monologue to piece together what he was trying to say

He sat back down, having stood up earlier to raise his arms to get Dark's attention away from completing his last sentence. He waited patiently for Dark to go on, so the room remained silent for a few precious, awkward minutes. There was no sound of a screeching bird to fill in the silent void either. Instead, Link played with the blue earring that hung on his left lobe; a family gift that his father had given him long ago when he was just a babe, a few months before he was drafted and sent into an unwinnable war. His mother joined him as she gave new life to her quintuplet sons.

Dark opened his eyes, and let air out in one shaky breath; he too was playing with a family memento of their father's, a black ring with the Fused Shadow on its face. Apparently one of their ancestors had the ring forged in memory of one of his closest friends after a war struck the land. When it finally ended, his friend left abruptly and for the rest of his days, he wore it to remember the strange woman that no one knew save for the princess of his time.

"Do you remember the name of the ancestor that had this ring forged?" Dark asked suddenly, out of nowhere as he stared up to look at his brother

Link jumped slightly for some reason but he answered nonetheless "No." he said with solemnity, his vast knowledge of history didn't extend into his father's bloodline "I've tried researching but this was centuries ago when the ring was created. Some of the facts were lost to time, unfortunately." He paused "Why do you ask?"

Dark sighed for what felt like the fiftieth time this night "I was just curious…the ring, I found out was created for our ancestor's friend, right?"

Link nodded, wondering where this was going.

"Well…look at this." Dark took off the ring from his right ring finger and dropped into Link's awaiting palm. Link looked at it. "Tell me what you see."

"I see the Fused Shadow." Link stated knowingly, having glimpsed at Dark's ring in the past. He straightened his posture to look back at his younger brother

"Look closer." Dark implored

Link did as he was told. For a few seconds he saw nothing but the Fused Shadow; he was just about to look up and ask what he was looking for until…

"Wait, I see something." Link said, peering closer at the jewel before him trying to get a better look that was appearing on the stone "It says… '_Midna_'." His jaw dropped, he whipped his head to look at his brother in shock who appeared with a sheepish grin on his face. "This…ring…was created for a woman named…Midna." Link spoke in realization and in complete disbelief at this revelation.

"Yeah, Midna." Dark repeated, folding his legs together, a soft smile on his countenance

"How?" Link asked himself in disbelief

"I don't know. That's why I asked you." Dark answered, apparently having heard his brother speak and mistakenly believing that Link was asking him the question directly

"So…you've been wondering this whole time how to impress Midna? Even though you gave the gift to her?" Link asked in clarification

Dark nodded unable to meet his brother's eyes

"Dark, if anything… you've piqued Midna's interest. Just today, I saw her in class unable to stop staring at the mirror you gave her. The fact that you gave her a-no YOUR rare Twili mirror has to count for something." Link tried to comfort his younger brother

"How, Link?" Dark grumbled in frustration, looking as if he might rip out his hair "That doesn't guarantee she's going to go out with me. You said it yourself; she thinks I'm some sort of dog who can't stop tailing her."

"I didn't finish…That mirror you gave her was a mirror only found in the country of Twilight. Navi told me that she overheard Midna say that she felt a little more connected to home. Don't you get it? She's been upset the whole time because she's been homesick not that she doesn't like you. Deep down, I believe she does like you. She just needs some encouragement." He placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "And you're going to do that when we perform on that stage."

"…Thank you, Link." Dark said with sincerity "I really needed that…You weren't kidding... when you said that she has a thing for me, right?"

"In retrospect, yes. Had you asked me that question a week ago, I would have been lying."

"Jerk."

"At least you know I care about you and your well-being."

"Well, when you put it in that way…" Dark said slyly, leaning in closer to his brother, he flicked a finger on a bite mark he failed to bandaged before; he watched amusedly as his brother shot up like a missile with a squeal, cradling the spot where his brother hit him

"You son of a _goblin,_ that HURT!" Link yelled

"You realize you just called yourself a son of a goblin too." Dark stated smugly, crossing his arms

"Bite me you bastard!" Link cursed more from the pain than anger

"Didn't the Dodongo take care of that already?" Dark replied in the same smug tone

"Oh shut up!"

"Love you too, big brother."

* * *

**A/N: I know I said in the last post this would have possibly been the last chapter, but as you readers know already, it's not (if you read this chapter down to the last line that is). I didn't want to focus so much on the romance that it would have been too fluffy. Also, I didn't want to rush this story and have it come out diced and chopped" in an awkward storyline. I try to recreate realistic day to day life issues to reflect how life can be at times though quite honestly, trying to write Link's interactions with his brothers is personally a difficult experience for me to write since I don't have any siblings of my own (well, _full_ siblings that are also my age) to relate this to. Needless to say, I don't have any experience as to what siblings would often argue about though I did try to write my best. In addition, I've never been in a relationship before so sorry if my lack of experience is apparent in the chapter.**

**I don't know how long this story is gonna to be because when I first wrote it, I didn't have a concrete plan as to how this would turn out so as I pondered about how I was going to write this story, my imagination gave me endless scenarios to write about. Hopefully, for you readers, I hope it meets your expectations.**

**I'll try to update my other stories as soon as I can without lowering the quality of the storyline. When summer comes along, my stories will be among my top priorities before I leave for college. _I hope to see more reviews in the meantime._  
**

**I would like to thank _ShadowNinja1011 _&amp; _Viofan238_** **for reviewing this story.**

_**There is life. There is death. And EVERYTHING in the middle is all extra. What will you do?**_


	4. Chapter 4

Raven sat in AP Biology class, watching blankly at the screen as the narrator in the video droned on and on in his lecture about the evolution of certain marine life. Normally he would have been paying rapt attention at the discussion but two things kept him from doing that: one, he had already learned in great depth about this topic back when living in Outset thanks already to having been exposed to the creatures that lived there so the video was practically regurgitating information he knew already. The second reason was that he couldn't help but stare at the beautiful young woman in front of him.

Her orange curls were delicately woven into a mass array of braids that he couldn't possibly help but wonder how she could have done herself. The ocean blue halter top she wore exposed her slightly tanned skin and a small birthmark that Raven couldn't help but admire. Her dark jeans hugged her figure quite nicely (though he wasn't going to admit out loud he had been looking there). From right where he was sitting he was lucky to be at an angle in which he could look at her face without being spotted from her charming sea green eyes.

Raven twitched slightly as the lights in the room brightened and from around him, he wasn't the only one complaining either. He heard low moans emit from the back of the room. No doubt they had been sleeping.

The bell rung; there was the constant clatter and banging of books hitting the table as everyone stuffed the heavy item into their overfilled backpacks. "Students!" Ms. Jellyf's high-pitched voice rang out "Please do not forget that you have a test on Friday! Please study!"

Adjusting the feather in his right ear, Raven stood up calmly from his seat, ready to leave. He almost lost his footing when he felt someone grab his backpack from behind. He turned around to see an impish grin on Marin's flushed face.

"Sorry," she mumbled "Your backpack was open."

Raven turned to see and found in fact that it was slightly open. He inclined his head "Thank you." He let her trail behind him since they were going to the same class anyway. Unlike how the rest of his brothers would react to their crush, Raven was completely at ease. Even calmer than Link was when he talked to Zelda.

"Have you done anything for Ms. Koume's 'Last Lecture' Report yet?" Marin asked out of the blue, hoping to engage him in conversation

"Oh yeah, I have actually." Raven answered, turning his head and slowing down his pace so that he could match Marin's "I have yet to finish, but I'm almost done." He paused as he turned his whole body so that he could face her completely "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I was just curious. Most of the people I asked have yet to start." Marin sighed

"Really, wow! My grandmother would have thrown a fit if she found out that I or my brothers have been procrastinating." Raven said, not having realized he disclosed a well-kept secret that most of the oblivious student body hadn't discerned yet

"It's like that here. Personally I-" she gaped at him, eyes wide "Wait, you have brothers!"

"Yeah." Raven replied as if this statement was obvious, readjusting the feather hanging in his right ear as he said so, he continued "They all go here. I'm pretty sure you've seen them walking around and about."

"Uhhh…"Marin could only reply as she tried to visualize the student's faces who attended the school

"Link, Ravio, Dark, and Wulf." Raven immediately filled in

"What? Oh yeah. I remember now. Wait, I get how Link can be your brother but the rest just don't…er…"

"Look alike." Raven finished for her with a smile "I hear that a lot but yes we are brothers. Our father had the blonde hair which is where Link and I inherited the hair color from, but the hair color my brothers Dark and Ravio have are from our mother. As for Wulf, I guess he got the in-between, you could say."

"So his genes couldn't decide whether to make his hair blonde or black so they basically just said 'Forget this, just make the hair brown so everyone could be happy'" Marin joked

Raven chuckled "Yeah, you could say so… What about you?"

"Hm?"

"Do you have any siblings?"

Marin was silent for a bit before she told Raven "My mother died when I was born."

Raven immediately regretted asking and so he faltered and spilled out the first few things that came into his mind "I apologize; I didn't mean to hurt you. I should have-"

Marin silenced him "It's alright, you didn't know."

Though Raven seemed desperate to give another apology, Marin's morose expression told him to say nothing more. He felt as if his heart was now weighed down with Marin's depressed state. He was truly sorry, he really was. After all, the pain was very familiar to him as he was reminded of his own tragic past. Growing up without his parents had forced him to grow up much more quickly; the fact that he was the eldest brother also made the pressure all the more burdening, he wouldn't admit it but the constant stress of having to be his brothers' mentor and counselor took a toll on him. Behind the composed exterior lie a man with a boy's imagination. As the eldest, he was expected to be the pick of the bunch, the brother who was to be looked up to, the one who was supposed to be the calm in the storm. It always had been and he was always expected to be.

With that, he slumped into his seat as he tried to hide the falling tears that had leaked over his cheeks.

* * *

Ravio sat in the library thumbing through the text during his open period. His eyes were glazed over as he flipped to a different page in his textbook. Having stared at the same piece of work for Goddesses-knows- how-long, he sat there practically reading nothing. Going to the library was a good excuse to avoid being stuck in the halls and possibly ambushed by Yuga, Ganondorf's cousin. Funny how this school seemed to contain people who had at least one relative going to this school. Though he had never meant to, there was also a really good excuse to be in the school library at this time.

Since the library housed the Broadcast room, students from the Broadcast class used it most often to deliver news to the student body, among those students being Hilda who often was at the front of the camera smiling that beautiful smile that made him weak in the knees. Her black hair, streaked with purple highlights glistened softly against the morning sun that broke through the slim window that stood a few feet away from her. Her cherry red lips were puckered into a cute heart shape as she sat with her cheerleader friends. Goddesses, how did it feel to touch those sweet lips?

Ravio's face went bright red at his thoughts and he cursed himself for getting off track from his studies, though he could not help but smile at those pleasant thoughts churning within him. Thankfully, Hilda's back was turned towards him and the sun was beating down on his skin. Of course, he chose to sit in the spot with most light and burn himself at the same time.

Realizing that he was practically doing nothing productive with his Calculus book, he stood up from his seat and aimlessly wondered into a row of shelves hoping to find a book to entertain himself with. It was a common routine he preoccupied himself with even before he moved to Hyrule Castletown. Being the youngest and shyest of his brothers, he found solace in books, reading for days on end that his brothers (save for Raven) would tease him for it. Of course, they had to bite their tongue when their Hylian Literature teacher complemented him for recalling certain quotes by Charlotte Brontë in _Jane Eyre_.

He didn't realize that he had been standing in the same position till he felt someone tap him on his shoulder. Turning around, he realized there was a young freshman boy standing in front of him.

"Excuse me? May I go through?" The boy timidly spoke; it was then Ravio realized the few books the boy was carrying in his small hands "I need to put these back where they belong."

Ravio nodded, taking a few steps back so that the boy could pass through. He literally had to smush himself into the bookcase since the pathway was so narrow. After the boy passed through, Ravio pushed himself away from the wall and glanced at his watch on his right wrist. There were only twenty minutes until the bell rang so he continued wandering aimlessly simply to kill time. However after a few minutes of browsing through the shelves, he found a few books that caught his interest and subsequently checked them out with the librarian who seemed strangely pleased that a student was checking out her books.

As he made his way back to his table where he put his backpack, he plopped down into his chair and began reading, engrossed in the story as he read along. While reading, he heard the clacking of heels sounding against the floor. He ignored it, but as he heard it going in his direction, he pulled himself closer into the table to allow the person room to pass through, assuming that she probably was heading to one of the computers behind him.

"Uh, excuse me?" a feminine voice spoke to him "May I ask what you're reading?"

Ravio jumped out of his seat as he realized whose voice it belonged to. As much as he wished it wasn't her, a part of him pleaded that it was. He turned…his mouth went dry.

"Um, is there something wrong?" Hilda asked him as she cocked her head to one side, clearly confused by his behavior

It was then Ravio realized he had been silently gawking at her for a half-minute. "Oh um…um…" _Use that tongue of yours. _Ravio's eyes briefly widened as he realized how wrong his thought sounded. "It's-" he briefly looked back at the book's cover "Oh, it's called _Bless Me Ultima_." Ravio said proudly, sounding as if he answered a question correctly on a game show only because he managed to speak without sounding like a blubbering idiot

"May I see it?" Hilda asked as she extended an arm out

Ravio silently obeyed, nodding in her direction as he handed it to her, offering a small, shy smile.

She opened the book delicately as if it were some ancient text, her fingers just ghosting over the corners of the pages she flipped. It was as if she was a scholar determined to analyze every aspect of the text. Unlocking the key to the book's true meaning. Ravio stared at her silently as she looked. Her black-purple hair was cascaded over one eye, the other red eye focused on the words in front of her. He didn't even realize that she had noticed his staring.

Hilda giggled at him "You know, you should see how red you're turning. You may just look like the next stop sign."

Ravio froze, stunned that he had been caught. "Uh…I burn easily?"he could only stammer

Hilda continued to smile at him "Don't worry though I think it's very cute." _Darn this woman was getting to him_; she brushed past him, handing back the book and winking at the last second before she disappeared from his peripheral vision. Ravio stood in place, cursing himself for not even able to talk to her. However as he went back to look over the page he was on, he realized a small slip of paper stuck within the pages. He pulled it out and smiled.

* * *

Wulf panted as he silently counted the number of reps he'd done. _45…46…47…_

Wulf let out a couple of breaths, exhausted from the workout but he wasn't going to go down just yet, just a few more and he would have broken his own record. _48…49…_

"You know there are simpler ways to work out than hanging upside down, you know?"

"Huh?"

It was then Wulf realized he was staring at the confused expression of Ilia Mayoria. She was standing there in her P.E. uniform but he could just see the wet marks that were implanted into the cotton material as it stuck to her body as if it were some adhesive.

"Oh hi, Ilia." Wulf said …_50\. _He pushed his body forward and gained the momentum needed to grip the bars with his legs and land onto the floor. Well more like _face-plant_.

"Are you ok?" Ilia asked worriedly as Wulf lost his balance and caught himself before he could land face-first into the gym floor.

"Yeah…I'm alright." Wulf said, his speech sounding slightly slurred as he regained his senses. With his arms extended, he wobbly stood on his feet and sighed in relief as he felt his limbs stop shaking. He turned towards Ilia, abashed of his own actions. His eyes widened as he felt her grab his wrist.

"Whoa, where are we going?" Wulf queried, feeling his head spin again as he was forcefully dragged by the petite girl

"You're going to sit down or I swear to the goddesses, I will break your bones if you do that again." Ilia hissed, scaring Wulf of the tone inflected in her voice

Ilia led him on the first pair of bleachers. Wulf frowned slightly as she let go but the feeling was replaced with relief when he realized his headache beginning to clear "Thanks." He expressed gratefully, wiping an arm across his forehead

"Anytime." Ilia smiled back at him as she noted his improving well-being

An awkward silence pervaded the atmosphere as the two searched for a topic to discuss on. Eventually, Wulf was the first to speak "Shouldn't you be joining the rest of the class?" he asked as he saw the rest of the female classmates beginning to disperse into other activities

Ilia shook her head "No. I'm not allowed to overwork myself. Have to keep my brain intact." She noticed his confused expression "A couple months ago, I donated blood and I ended up passing out and hitting my head against the corner of a table. I'm not allowed to do any strenuous activities because I need all the oxygen to go through my brain." She explained before she realized what she had just said, she hung her head "I can't believe I just said that. You must think I need to see a therapist." She groaned into her hands

His confused expression lingered on his face "No, I wasn't judging you that way." He winced "So you waste a whole period by doing nothing."

She smiled back at him "Not exactly." She pointed in front of her causing Wulf to turn in the direction she was pointing at "I get to sit and talk with my friends." Ilia explained before Zelda took a seat right next to her, clad in her school uniform

"Hello." Zelda greeted Ilia before waving at Wulf who simply returned a two-fingered salute and lied down on the bleachers, sighing contently as the cool metal hit his back.

"Have you finished the project yet for Geoscience?" Ilia asked curiously, paying no mind to the relaxed Wulf and instead discuss on any topics that did not revolve on the man lying down behind her lest she turn pink from embarrassment

Zelda groaned "Ilia, I don't want to think about it. This is P.E class."

"Still…you've really got to get on it though, that project is due in a week."

"It's not like I don't want to do it." Zelda explained, frustration clear in her tone "It's simply because I don't have the _manpower_ to do it."

Ilia smirked at her friend, deducing the hint her friend just gave her "Ruto?"

Zelda seemed hesitant to say anything but she finally relented a few seconds after, "yes" she responded dully and sighing in defeat

"Still; Z, you've got to do something about it."

"I've tried but no matter what she ends up doing something just when we need to work on it. Cheerleading practice also gets in the way of that too you know?" Zelda tried to explain

"Zel, if there's anything that we both know. That's just BS right there. I know you and Ruto were connected at the hip since elementary school but you have to stand up to your friends once in awhile." Ilia reasoned "She's taking advantage of you kindness and you're just going to let her do that? What kind of a friend does that?"

"I know but-"

"But what Zelda? If she's not going to do anything you better do something before I get involved and you know well enough what happens when that happens?" Ilia crossed one leg over the other as she set her fingertips underneath her chin, smiling deviously. "I dare you to try me."

"Ugh, fine you win." Zelda groaned in defeat a few seconds after Ilia's proclamation, knowing already that once her friend's mind was set to something, there was no turning around. Zelda pulled out her phone and began searching for Ruto's name in her contacts; as she begin calling, she turned to her dark-blonde haired friend "You know this doesn't mean she isn't going to pick up right?"

"Oh I know. In case that happens, just write a strongly worded message to her after that." Ilia replied

"She isn't answering." Zelda said as the phone went to her voicemail, she sighed once more as she begin texting her

_Hey you know we've got a project due._

_Hi Zellie, how's my favorite girlie doing? :)_

_Fine. But Ruto listen where are you?_

_Oh. I'm just at my laptop, why?_

_Are you home right now?_

_Of course, why else would I have my laptop with me elsewhere?_

_It's a portable computer, Ruto. __It's possible to take it anywhere else besides using it at home._

_Of course, Zellie. I know that. What do you take me for?_

_Ruto, you're getting sidetracked again, we've got to finish the project for Geoscience. _

_When is that due?_

_Next week on Tuesday._

_Oh dear, I'm getting screwed_

…_What?_

_We're screwed! WE'RE SCREWED! Not the other thing!_

Zelda couldn't help but burst out into gales of laughter, startling her friend and the young man beside her (nearly causing the latter to fall off his seat). Zelda tried hastily to explain but each time she tried, she broke into another fit of laughter that left the two other teens utterly more confused with each passing second. After what seemed like eons, Zelda was able to collect herself enough to hand her phone over to her friend.

"Seriously, Zel, what's so-?" Ilia laughed as she read the text from Ruto, she tittered into the back of her hand as tears of laughter broke out across her red face, only leaving one other person ever more curious what was so funny that made these women laugh

"What's going on? Um, gals? Oh really come on." His last statement was directed towards the phone ringing loudly in his pocket. As Wulf flipped the phone open, he stood up and marched into the hallway to have a quiet conversation with the person on the other line, effectively leaving the two giggling women to entertain themselves as he excused himself

"Hello?" Wulf spoke into his phone as the double doors closed loudly behind him

"Hey Wulfie."

"Link?!" Wulf shouted, half-shocked and half-glad that he was hearing his brother's voice; his stunned state prevented him from realizing that the volume of his voice had also startled his brother into dropping the phone

"Ow! Wulf! Not so loud." Link chastised him as he carefully picked up the phone from the floor "You're making it a lot harder for me than you realize."

"Sorry." Wulf apologized, shame weighing into his tone "So how's your hand?"

Link frowned as he looked at the white, bandaged mass that was his right hand. "Doc confirmed that my fingers are broken save for the pinky and the thumb." Link wiggled them as he told his brother the bad news "I'm going to be like this for eight weeks, possibly longer since my hands were so chewed up before."

"Oh man that sucks."

"Yeah…well at least it wasn't my left hand. I can at least write with that hand."

"True, but how about Coach Darunia? You know how strict he can be."

"I don't think he can force a student to do anything that would aggravate an injury much less a broken bone, Wulf. Anyway, I've already notified Darunia about what happened."

"You told him everything?"

"Only that I broke my hand." Link shrugged though Wulf wouldn't see it anyway "He doesn't doubt a word I say since I don't cause any trouble for him. Hey by the way, can you tell Zelda that I might be a bit late coming to the practice today after school. I have to finish some paperwork here."

"Want me to tell her where you've been?"

"Would it matter?" Link asked dully "My bandaged hand is evidence enough that I went to a hospital. So you might as well tell her."

"Ok brother. Be careful. Wait…how are you getting to school without a car?"

"I have a pocket full of coins and two sound feet. Either or is going to get me to school. Oh and before you hang up, I have a couple of old friends I want you and the rest of the bros to meet tonight at the Milk Bar on Eastern Avenue."

"Did you just say it was a 'bar'?" Wulf asked perplexed

"Yep. Don't worry, it's not as bad as you are making it sound."

"Then why are we going to a-"

"Catch you later, Wulf. Don't forget to tell the rest of the bros." Link interrupted him before putting the phone back on the table

"Bar?" was the last thing Wulf said before he shut his phone. His expression was completely confounded as he tried to comprehend whether the message his brother gave him was real

"A bar? Are you sure you didn't hit your head too with a Deku nut last night Link?"

* * *

Midna sighed as she sat in the large chair designated for the office aides. For the past half hour she had been sitting in the same spot doing NOTHING. Sure there was the stack of papers next to her that needed shredding but the machine was being utterly stubborn and decided to spit twice as much out as she put in. No way was she going to it again especially with the pathetic grunting sound the machine made now that it was defective.

"Ugh, could time go more slowly?" Midna said to herself in frustration

As soon as she completed that statement, the office phone shrilled loudly, startling Midna to the point she nearly dropped the paper from her secret admirer that she had held earlier in a fruitless effort to pass the time. She had barely caught her breath as she put the phone into her ear.

"Hello," Midna in a professional tone "You've reached the office of Hyrule High. This is Midna speaking. How may I help you?"

"Um good morning Miss Midna…" a man spoke into the phone sounding confused "You said this is the office of Hyrule High School. Correct?"

"That is correct sir." Midna continued with a professional tone

"Okay, do you happen to have a sports team, specifically a soccer team?" the man asked

Midna leaned forward with interest. "Yes we do. Why do you ask, sir?"

"Well it's just…" the man coughed uncomfortably "You see, I run the little restaurant known as the Lumpy Pumpkin down the street from where your school is at and I happen to have two teens out there in the back alley…disturbing the peace."

"No problem sir, I'll send someone out to pick up the two teens." Midna said, ready to call one of the deans in the room across from her to do the job. Before she was able to, the man quickly called out to her to give her a vital piece of information that he was in no need to repeat

"Er, ma'am, just tell them that this young man and woman are getting rather…intimate… out there. I don't know who their names are but the young man seems to have blue hair from what I could see before I called you."

Midna's face seemed to tint into a green color. "Very well," she mustered in the most professional voice she could use at the moment "I'll let them know that, good day sir."

With that she quickly hung up. She didn't need to figure out who was best at dealing with this job. After all, she hated this dean enough NOT to feel sorry for him when it came to handling this situation. It was so worth seeing his face colored the same hue as those shiny pink cheeks.

"Mr. Rupin." Midna called out as she entered the Dean's Office. She didn't bother knocking. After all, her headstrong personality wasn't going to allow her to bow to some cheeky dean who only got in simply because his mother used to be a teacher for this school a while ago. "We have a situation."

The young man seemed to be in his mid-20s. He sat in his chair with a cross expression as he met the gaze of the Twili. His straw hair was neatly combed back like a mother would do to their child on their first day of school. On top of that head was a little green cap that somehow stood fixed to the side of that oval head of his. (Some people had claimed that it was to hide his devil "horn".) He crossed his gangly arms. "And pray tell me Miss what that situation would be."

"It involves going to the Lumpy Pumpkin down the street and picking up some troublemaking students." Midna told him blankly

Rupin grunted as he heaved himself to his feet. "What are their names?" Rupin asked as he pulled up his coat

"I don't know but according to the owner, it sounded serious." Midna half-told and half-lied

"Tell the Principal I'll be out a bit. And make sure nothing happens to my desk when I'm out will ya?" Rupin asked as if it were a command

Midna shrugged, suppressing a smirk "I'll do that sir."

"Thank you." Rupin grunted "And why in Hylia's Land did they decide to do it at this time at bloody forty degrees." Rupin bellowed as he opened the door, covering himself the best he could as the strong gale blew.

Midna smiled as she heard Rupin's lack of decorum. She was completely alone now. But this little situation was definitely worth it when it came to getting under Rupin's skin. She had never liked him anyway. On her first day here, Rupin rudely shoved her out of class because her attire was "distracting the male body." After that, she overhead Rupin snidely telling the other staff members that "he was sorry for those teachers having the Twili girl with a foul-mouthed tongue." As soon as senior year rolled around, she made sure that she was going to be in the office making his life as miserable as he had done to hers.

She was thinking so deeply that she had not registered the sound of the closing door until the one who opened the door was standing right in front of her. She looked up and there she was staring at a pair of dark grey eyes. _Dark._

"Hello Midna." Dark said with a rebellious grin "Long time no see."

"If you consider one day a long time." Midna rebutted as she set her mind on something else besides the handsome man in front of her

Dark continued to smile "In my world, one day with you is all I need."

"Save your breath." Midna huffed, not wanting to deal with him now that no one was here to come to her rescue "Why are you here?"

"Why? Can't I come and visit the office any time I want? _I want to talk to you for a moment_."

"Class has yet to finish."

"Oh, I know, though I don't think Ms. Kotake wouldn't really notice one student out of forty sneaking out from her statistics lecture."

Midna suppressed the small grin. She understood of having to go through of what felt like 400 years of endless math formulas and Ms. Kotake's shrill voice. She quickly composed herself "Be that as it may, why are you here Dark?"

"Hmm, straight to the point are we?" Dark said as he leaned closer into Midna's face, causing her to back away to widen the gap between them, Dark didn't seem to be fazed in the slightest. "I've been a bad boy." He said

Midna scoffed "Yeah, what else is new?" she said as she attempted to turn on the paper shredding machine

"Oh come on now baby girl, you can't think of me like that all the time can you?" Dark said, using the nickname he had been calling her for the past month, scooting closer to her

"The only other times you've been here was a lecture from the deans, the counselor, AND the principal." Midna answered, mentally growing more frustrated as she tried to hide the fact that she was enjoying the young man's presence even though her pride wouldn't let her

Dark looked slightly hurt but his mask fell away as she struggled to turn on the paper shredder, he rose a brow as she kicked the darn thing. "It's not going to work if you're going to that." Dark told her dully as he picked up a piece of paper and began fiddling with it

"No, but it's great to use for venting my frustrations." Was her response, not realizing what he was doing

Dark looked at her amusedly, chuckling as he shook his head. "Typical Hyruleans." He declared "Thinking that violence will help solve their problems."

"For your information, I'm not from the country of Hyrule." Midna told him, having heard his mumbling

"Oh I know, but I can tell that you've been here long enough to start acting like one." He told her knowingly

Midna said nothing. She didn't want give him any more leverage than she was allowing him. Was it against school policy to hit him for disturbing the peace? Particularly hers? It was true that she had grown up in Hyrule ever since she could walk. The Twilight Realm as her home country was called was suffering a major economic collapse when she was seven. Her parents, not wanting to be there when the chaos broke out, packed their bags and left to Hyrule where they would be safe from those dangers.

One thought hit her though and she became so curious that she voiced it aloud "Are you from the country of Hyrule?"

Dark having been playing with the sheet of paper snapped his head up at her question. He was thoroughly surprised having a conversation with her this long. By this time, he would have been either been bonked, doused, or pushed out of her way. Nevertheless he answered her question "No, not exactly." He told her truthfully

"Then where are you from?" she asked him curiously

"The island Outset, one of the Hyrulean territories." He told her, fondly remembering some of the memories that had occurred in his previous home

Before she could reply to that, Dark looked around and noticing everybody else's absence, he asked "Quiet day at the office baby girl?"

She restrained herself from slapping him upside the head "Quit calling me that." She growled

"Why," he smiled "deep down you know you like it."

"I am not in the mood for dealing with your bull…just get out of my sight and back to your class."

Dark looked at her funny "Whoever said that I was coming out of class?"

"You just said…"

His face became more serious "Perhaps I wasn't coming out of class; maybe I had strangely forgotten my way and perhaps" Dark leaned dangerously closer to her, a smirk spreading across his face "maybe I was trying to help a friend."

"And who would that friend be, may I ask?" Midna was surprised to find her breath was quickening

"I can't tell but it did involve making a phone call and having to put away a rather 'bad guy'." Dark told suggestively

This time Midna could not hide her smile "Are there really two students out there having sex in the back alley of a restaurant?"

Dark shrugged "If there is, sucks to be them."

Midna looked at him inquisitively "You know you are a rather mysterious character Dark."

"As I've been told many times by my brothers." Dark commented with a sigh as he looked away to the side

"Well considering your brother Ravio is in the top 10% of the class and you happen to be on the other end of the spectrum, I'm hardly surprised." Midna deadpanned

Dark turned to her, lifting one finger "You're forgetting a few more of them." He raised two extra fingers "There are three more brothers you have yet to figure." With that, he lifted himself off the desk and taking one last long look at her, he told her "You know you want me."

With a turn of a heel, he left, leaving Midna more perplexed and enticed by this strange young man. Sure he annoyed her at times but she wouldn't deny that he had a rather unique charm to his personality.

* * *

"A bar?!" They all yelled after Wulf explained the conversation between him and Link earlier while they sat down together at the same lunch table

"Yeah, a bar." Wulf confirmed

The three brothers stared at Wulf, baffled at the news that he just shared with him.

"I knew Link was a little out there, but I never figured him to be so bold as to get into a bar." Dark commented, smile breaking out on his face

"Wulf, are you sure you heard him correctly?" Raven asked, ignoring the comment Dark had just made

"Positive." Wulf said, sounding disturbed "I mean he didn't sound like a drunk. His speech was fine. And his voice is Link's."

"So why did he want us to go to a bar?" Raven queried, making sure his voice was low so that no else besides them four

Wulf leaned in closer, mimicking his brothers' actions "He didn't say. He hung up before I could get it out of him. Though…he did seem excited about it."

"I don't like the sound of that." Raven commented

"Come on, we should celebrate." Dark spoke "This is the last year of high school. We should be happy that Link is doing something what could be the most awesome prank ever."

"Or end up getting himself in jail for trying." Ravio added quietly

"Exactly." Dark responded as he slapped his youngest sibling in the back causing him to grunt in reply

"Link said he might be a bit late coming to the practice session he has to do today for his government class, so maybe we can ask then." Wulf suggested

"Hopefully." Raven added glumly, slumping in his seat

Unfortunately, Link was nowhere to be found and after nearly wasting an hour after school on trying to find their brother, they gave up on trying to talk to him as they had their own jobs to attend to. Even ater that night, Link was still persistent on keeping his lips sealed.

"I swear Link. You better not be shitting us." Raven muttered under his breath

Link looked at his elder brother calmly "I've never seen you act this way Raven. Why the tense expression?" he asked for his own amusement

Raven glared at him from the driver's seat. "You know Goddesses-damned well why I am acting this way."

From the back, Wulf and Ravio couldn't help but feel perturbed at the eldest brother's dark expression. Never before had they seen such a face on his brother's usual benign countenance. Dark and Link however, seemed to relish in seeing this new side of their brother.

"Cheer up Raven. At least we got some time to ourselves." Dark said

"That we only got simply because we told Gran that we had to do a project." Raven growled in reply

"This is it." Link intervened as his brother turned in an empty spot in the small parking lot allotted to the Milk Bar

"Link, why are you bringing us here?" Wulf asked his elder brother as they made their way to the door

Link said nothing as he opened the door; surprisingly no one seemed to be manning it to check for ID before they went inside. He poked his head inside "Hmm, where are they?" Link mused

"Link?"

Link's expression brightened "Ah, there they are. Follow me."

"Link. I've said it once and I'll say it again. You are going to so dead if you don't-" Raven stopped in mid-sentence

Dark grew more curious as his eldest brother went silent "What? What is it?"

Wulf lifted himself on the tips of his toes "Wait is that who I think it is?"

"Lemme see." Ravio pleaded, hopping like a little rabbit as he tried to see over his brother's heads.

"Oh shit." Dark gasped as the four of them finally stepped inside "It's the-"

"Indigo-Go's." Link smiled, finishing his brother's sentence "And tonight we are sitting with the Big Man."

"Big Man?" Ravio wondered

Link confidently strode up to a rather large man who seemed to be engaged in a casual conversation with one of the bar workers. He was wearing a navy blue corporate style tux with the buttons untouched. His thin, whisker-like mustache wiggled as he continued talking to the bar worker. The small, dainty little hat was dwarfed by his humongous size and the cane he held firmly in his right hand seemed to be struggling to hold his massive weight. After an appropriate pause in the two man's conversation, Link spoke up "Good evening Toto."

The large man whirled around, his eyes widened at seeing Link before him. "Hiya, little chap. Nice to see you again." He took Link's own hand and shook it. As he pulled away, it was then Toto noticed the four brothers "And hello to you too Link's brothers."

Raven smiled and shook Toto's hand followed by Wulf. Ravio shyly shook Toto's hand after Wulf's turn and Dark simply waved at Toto from afar. "Now I hear you guys are performing a dance for FIVE special ladies. Or at least Link told me." Toto said, looking at Link for confirmation whose head simply hung over in a desperate attempt to hide his blushing face.

"When did you find that out?" Wulf blurted the first thing that came to his mind

Toto seemed amused at Wulf's expression "Well, Link and I had a nice chat at the hospital we went to this morning. I remember looking at him the first time and thinking 'I know this kid from somewhere.' When I went up to ask him he told me his name and that is when it clicked." Toto snapped his fingers "I remembered him as well as you four from Outset on that day eight years ago. When we had that large crowd of fans ambushing us after the band's concert and we were desperate to hide from them since they knew the location of the hotel we were staying at. I remember your Grandmother just ushering us in and insisting that we stay as long as we needed to." Toto smiled "Charming woman. How is she?"

Raven answered "She's fine. Still has a lot of pep for someone her age."

"Ah, good, good, I'm glad to hear."

There was a lull in the conversation. As everyone tried to preoccupy themselves with a sort of activity that didn't make the conversation any more awkward, they were thankfully saved by the melodic voice of the main singer.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I'm Lulu and I would like to thank all of you for your support in making our dreams come true. So tonight, in honor for that support, we came here to give a special performance to all you special people. Ok Evan, we're ready when you are." She said, turning back so that she could see the bandleader nodding his head and gliding his fingers effortlessly over the piano.

As the five brothers took their seats, watching the band perform on the stage, Toto leaned over into Link's ear as he was closest to him "Wait for the surprise that your brothers are in for."

Link chuckled knowingly as he whispered back "Wait till the whole school finds out about this."

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was rather boring, I know. But I wanted to show some interactions between Link's brothers and their "admirees". Also, now that school is over, I can finally devote more time to my fanfics.**

**For those of you curious: the conversation between Zelda and Ruto was what happened to one of my junior acquaintances back when she was a freshman. I ended up distracting her so much that she miswrote what she was trying to say to her friend concerning a project and ended up with the result as you see above. Still haven't stopped teasing her about it.**

**And also, the situation Midna went through about the two students actually happened to a student from another school that I talked to one day after finishing the SATs. That entire thing happened at her school where two students were doing the "dance with no pants" in a dirt parking lot of a 7-Eleven convenience store. (You would think they would be a little wiser in choosing their spot).**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I was in a rush to finish this chapter so sorry if this seems rushed but I wanted to get this over with quickly as I can before I hit the most awaited chapter. So sorry Kpoplover but you're still going have to wait for the penultimate chapter.  
**

* * *

To say that his brothers were shocked would be an understatement. Raven, the calm in the storm had nearly shaken his brother senseless when he found out that the Indigo-Go's were willing to perform at their school dance since the school's DJ backed out at the last second. With flushed faces and hearts pounding, Toto treated them to the Chateau Romani to celebrate their accomplishments when they finally calmed down and sat together with the band manager and the band members themselves. Though the brothers were somewhat leery of taking a sip of the strong, overpowering drink, they thought it best not to disappoint Toto as he was already doing so much for them. Not to mention they would be driven home by limo, something that Toto promised them so that they would not get in trouble on the way back.

After having greeted themselves to the band members, the brothers talked to them as if they were simply old friends. Even after moving to the country of Hyrule, the brothers' warm and congenial personalities had not changed in the slightest in the eyes of the elders, something that they welcomed with open arms after having spent years with crowds of people who claimed they were "friends". Even Dark, the most upfront brother had toned down the blunt nature and humbled himself to speak with the Zora band with cordial replies. Ravio even chipped into the conversation though his voice was so low that it made it difficult for the other adults to hear him.

Finally after spending several hours in the bar, they were cramped into the limo. Link now knew what his younger brothers must have felt when they sat in the back of their own vehicle. With Toto's massive weight, it made it difficult for the five brothers to even breathe. Link even noticed that the band members seemed to be struggling in the cramped space as evidenced by Evan's pale face and Mikau's discomforted expression. None of them complained however.

After thirty hellish minutes, the quintuplets were shoved out of the limo, happy to breathe in the cool early spring air. After making a big joke out of their messy attire, the quintuplets stepped inside to be greeted by the boss of the household: Gran.

"Uh oh." Was the first thing the quintuplets could say

"Uh oh is right my little moblins." Gran addressed them they way she would to misbehaving children, like what she was doing now

"Gran, I can explain." Link spoke up trying to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand

"Do you take me for a senile old woman?!" Gran yelled loudly for an 86 year old

"Gran I promise you, we were-"

"You five lied to me. You lied to your own grandmother!" Gran was livid, her hair in disarray and her fists clenched to her sides tightly as she eyed the guilty expressions of her grandsons, each of them recoiled into their bodies as if to protect themselves from their grandmother's wrath

"Gran, we're sorry." Wulf bravely spoke up "We didn't mean to make you wait this long, we're so-"

"What happened to your hand, Rinku?!" she cried when she noticed the wrapped bandages on her grandson's right hand

Link stiffened at the question. The last thing he wanted to have his grandmother worried about was his health; after all, hers were in no condition to take any more surprises than she had today, or any day for that matter. He quickly hid his hand behind his back.

"Just soreness." He answered even if it was the most blatant lie he ever told "I'm fine."

"Rinku Avalon! Don't you dare lie to me and tell me that you're 'fine'!" Her voice rose, the tone in her voice made it clear she was in no mood for games "I can tell by the way you're holding it that it is broken. So tell me what happened now mister!"

"Gran," Link spoke soothingly in hopes of calming down his grandmother's frantic state "Please, I can explain but I need you to calm down."

"Calm down! Don't you dare tell me to calm down mister when you and your brothers left me here alone thinking that you had a school project to do! No you made me believe that you were grown up the right way, but I can see how wrong I was." She told him dangerously

Link felt hurt by her statements but he knew if he didn't stop her now, she would be stopped in a much worse way. "Grandma, I-"

"Don't you dare say it young man…I want you five up to ded… Ded… Bet."

"Gran."

Her face seemed to droop. Her posture was no longer erect and she seemed to be struggling to stand up. Her hand was massaging her head and she kept blinking as if she couldn't see. Link knew what was happening.

"Call 911." Link commanded, panic evident in his voice

Ravio was the first to respond. Thankfully, the home phone was in his reach. Raven stood beside him since Ravio seemed to struggle gripping onto the handset. Wulf and Dark were quick to grab onto their grandmother before she fell to the ground. With haste, they carefully sat her down on the nearest couch trying to keep her coherent as she seemed to be staring around the room with confusion. They laid her on her side, with Wulf fluffing up the pillow to raise her head slightly. Link kneeled in front of her as she began sweating. Her face seemed to pale in the last few minutes.

"Gran." He called out to her quietly "Hold on."

…

Link didn't remember much of what had transpired. Flashes of bright lights clouded his memory. A couple of paramedics came in with a gurney hoisting his elderly grandmother onto the apparatus. To him everything seemed to be moving in slow motion and he felt as if he were underwater, drowning himself in the dread and guilt he felt for causing his grandmother so much pain.

He had stayed beside her the whole night on that hospital bed, not even bothering to sleep a wink.

The heart rate monitor was steadily beeping with every calm breath that his grandmother exhaled. He watched her as her chest rise with every inhale of breath she took. It was the only thing that kept him sane. How could he have lived with himself if his grandmother had died because of him? The doctors stated that she needed to rest and possibly could have trouble speaking when she woke up. Raven took on his role as the guardian of his brothers and requested that they should go to school. Gran would have hated it if they had missed one day of school even if she was lying in a hospital bed.

"Rinku," Raven beckoned him, using the childhood nickname that their Gran called him "let's go."

"I'll meet you outside." Link responded, holding his grandmother's lifeless hand firmly

Raven only nodded, knowing well of why Link had asked such a request. Even if all of them had gone to the Bar, it was Link that convinced him in the first place. Funny how their luck had changed so suddenly.

Link leaned forward and kissed his grandmother's warm hand. The wrinkles on her face stretched across her weary face and it was there that Link realized how much work this old woman had devoted to them ever since their birth. She was the only adult figure they had after their grandfather passed away several years ago when they were thirteen. She and her husband had raised them since birth. They were the ones who saw them walk for the first time, the ones who trained them how to eat with utensils, the ones who attended their school's performances whenever they volunteered to show their dance routines to the inhabitants of that small island. THEY were their parents. And how did he repay them for all their hard work, by putting her in this hospital bed and making her sweat with worry of the possible scenarios of all that could have happened in their absence.

Link brought her hand closer to his forehead and with his head bowed; he placed it on there, taking in a deep breath as he did so. "Mano po." He said, giving the proper sign of respect as expected towards his elders and also pray that she would be alright. He sadly lowered her arm on the bed, being careful not to hurt her or himself even if the move was rather simple to do. The right hand was still under wraps and he made sure not to bump it against anything as he had learned the hard way when he slammed it against one of the light poles he passed when trying to get to school yesterday.

He stood up and placed the chair back where it belonged, along the wall where the door stood. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. He felt like a Redead. He would be lucky to make it through his AP Chemistry class which was the second class he had today. All of his classes today would be an hour and a half and the fact that his teacher spoke in a rather monotone voice made it all the more harder to even listen to his lectures.

He was just about to open the door when he heard something fall out of his pocket. He eyed the paper curiously as he picked it up, eyes scrunched together as he tried to figure out where it came from. _Strange. _He mused. He never put a paper in his pocket yesterday. So where did it come from? Curiously he opened it. There was nothing, just an absolute blank piece of paper.

Dismissing it as an anomaly, he had half a mind to throw it away. However, just as he was about to drop it in the little wastebasket an idea came to him. Gran deserved an explanation after all. What better way to do so than explain it writing if he wasn't here to do so at all. It was the right thing to do, plus, after having cooled down, she could at least read and give some time to think to herself before she voiced out her thoughts.

With haste, he quickly scribbled the first few things he could spit out in his frazzled mind. Folding it up, he couldn't help but fold it into the shrimp form he had taught himself when he was younger. The first thing that his grandmother had bought him was a blue shirt with a white shrimp design on the front when he had started preschool those many years ago. A small smile formed on his tired lips. Was it really that long ago that he had started school? It felt strange that he was going to be leaving the school realm after having been in it for so long. He shook his head. Raven was probably on the way back up to get him.

He put the shrimp paper on the desk where the telephone was at. He let out a breath. It was all he could do now. He could only hope she would be okay.

…

His mood was down again by the time he made it to his first class. The small hope he had dimmed with every passing moment for him. Raven thankfully explained the whole situation to the staff members of why they were late, with the rest of the brothers filling here and there of other minute details. Link dragged himself lifelessly into his AP Government class by the time they were done. For the sake of pride, he put on a mask of neutrality, not wanting to reveal just yet of what had occurred the past 12 hours.

Ms. Impa seemed to detect his melancholy as he walked in through the door with a late slip as she did not inquire as to what led to his long absence and instead continued on the lecture of public policy to distract other students from wondering the same thing, something that Link was thankful for.

He had barely sat down when a piece of paper folded like an envelope landed onto his desk. Making sure that Ms. Impa was distracted, he opened the paper the best he could with one hand.

_Hey, you alright?_

Link turned back making sure that the neat little handwriting actually belonged to the person he was sure written to him. Zelda sat diagonally from him with a small portable computer on her desk. Though she was facing in the direction of the board, her wandering eyes made it clear to him that she was the one who given him the letter. Surreptitiously, he signed it before flinging it to her, thankfully landing on her laptop right under her nose. She gave him a disapproving look at his answer but she decided not to investigate further in the subject as Ms. Impa had finally caught on the couple's exchange.

"Mr. Avalon, I will not have you exchanging love letters to Ms. Harkinian during my lecture."

The class laughed at Link's red face, momentarily forgetting the events that had transpired that morning. He was thankfully saved again by Zelda's quick thinking. "Ms. Impa, I'm sorry to interrupt but I believe it is my fault to disrupt your lecture. You see, I was just asking Link if he needed my notes to copy down but I didn't want to interrupt your lecture by asking aloud but I believe I still have done so anyway. Forgive me, Ms. Impa."

Ms. Impa was caught unawares at Zelda's response and it was safe to say that the rest of the class thought the same thing. Fortunately Ms. Impa finally spoke.

"Very well Zelda." She turned to the blond teen "Link, while you are allowed to collaborate with Zelda on the notes you missed, you must copy down the notes that I am posting now."

"Yes, Ma'am." Link automatically responded

"And don't call me 'ma'am' I'm not that old." Ms. Impa jokingly scolded him causing the class to erupt in laughter

"I'll keep that in mind Ms. Impa." Link said aloud amidst the light giggles, he leaned towards Zelda before mouthing _Thanks_.

_You're welcome. Just meet me during lunch and I can give you my notes then._

_Thank you…I'll see you then._

Link finally turned his head and began scribbling down the notes that Ms. Impa had requested. His cheeks were still lit an apple red. Oh how was he going to ask her out if he couldn't stop blushing? Much less perform the song in front of her.

Marth sat a few rows away from Link. Though his face conveyed a mask of disinterest, he was burning with disapproval towards that outsider whom Zelda barely talked to just several days ago. His plan was setting into motion and that outsider would pay dearly for his foolhardiness if he didn't get the fact that Zelda was his to keep. He wasn't even worthy of a prize like her. How could she befriend that outsider so easily when they had been together a lot longer than he has been here? He would have to be patient. If that outsider did his part then everything would fall through.

…

Link was bored to tears and actually had half a mind to stand up and yell of his teacher's insufficiencies just to escape the room. Never before had he considered such a feat. Mr. Chudley could have been a snobby businessman or a corrupt politician, but no; he had to be a teacher. This man didn't even have the common sense to dress up as an AP Chemistry teacher. His attire was akin to what a CEO would wear to a meeting and not that of a high school teacher. Even the mustache would automatically enter him in the Millionaires' Club.

He barely saved himself from having a concussion against his table as Mr. Chudley droned on and on about the effects of nitrogen oxide…or was it hydrogen peroxide. He was too tired to even try to catch up on what he just said.

"Hey, you may want to listen before Mr. Chudley catches you." Shad reprimanded, nudging him on the elbow

"Yeah, yeah whatever." Link grunting, resting his elbow so that his chin could sit on his palm

Giving him nothing but a reproachful glare, Shad turned to the front of the classroom, engaged with what Mr. Chudley was saying. Link wasn't going to deny that he should be listening, there was too much on his mind anyway to even try to distract himself with that information anyway. The teacher was barely teaching materials from the 1st quarter and it was now what, the start of the 3rd quarter. What had this teacher been doing in the past few months? It was unbelievable of what some of these teachers were hired here to do. Goddesses, he missed the schools back in Outset. Sure they were tough but they were engaging. AND he actually learned something. The best he learned here was just sitting here and taking tests and bubble-fill.

"Mr. Avalon, I'm sure your classmates would appreciate it if you show the slightest bit of interest." Mr. Chudley scolded him warily

"What kind of teacher picks on his students like that?" came the retort

Abruptly, Link stood up. The class eyed him warily as he began panting. The emotions had pushed him to his limits. The constant pressure of being his best, the guilt he held from making his grandmother collapse, and the fact that he was downright tired mixed together creating a snowball effect. He was not one to show his emotions easily but when they did, he would explode. Right now was one of these situations.

Finally getting a hold of his breath, he locked eyes with the teacher who just stared back at him sternly as if silently trying to tell him to sit down. Link was not going to obey and for the first time he was going to stand up for himself, not resign himself into letting others choose for him. Hell, it was his grandmother who convinced him to be here but even she could no longer stop him now as he barked "I can't do it. I'm done!" He marched to the door and just as he was about to step out and leave this classroom; he whipped his head back so that the teacher would unmistakably see the true expression that he hid for a long while. "And just so you know, Chudley," Link didn't even bother using proper titles, his mouth was speaking faster than his rationality could keep up with, Gran surely would have had a heart attack for addressing teachers in such a manner. "If you're wondering why I'm acting this way JUST today, I'll let you know that my grandmother is lying in a hospital bed! And I can't even be there beside her to comfort her!" With a growl, Link opened the door and shut it with enough force for the sound to echo loudly in the hallways. The class just stared at the door as Link's words finally sunk in. Some shook their heads, few cried, but most of them just stared.

He stomped into the bathroom at the end of the hallway letting out a fierce cry at his stupidity. He was getting to get an earful from Gran for this sideshow. The thought of Gran made Link's heart stop, he let out a pained howl as he slammed his arms against the sink; he kept them there despite the pain he just put himself through. _Goddesses, how could he have done that to her? _He thought for the thousandth time.

The door opened. He was about to throw his hood on so that no one can see his tear-streaked face till he realized who walked in through the door. Zelda stood hesitantly, closing the door quietly behind her and staring at him teetering on whether or not she should say something.

She didn't need to say anything as Link had begun to spoke "What are you doing here, Zelda? This is the men's restroom." He told her, with a hint of frustration

"I heard you screaming." She said quietly, rubbing her hands nervously together

"Don't bother, I just hit my hand against the sink." He said smoothly, looking down and clenching his uninjured hand into a fist

"That's not what I was talking about." She said a little more loudly than the first. Link turned away "Link, what happened?"

"Leave Zelda. I just need to be alone." He curtly told her

"Link there is nothing wrong in crying." She noted when she saw his shaking form "It's okay, you can tell me." She spoke to him as if she were talking to a frightened lamb

She squealed as he pushed past her, not even bothering to voice his apologies as he finally sprinted out of the hallway and out of the school. She could only hang her head in pity. All she wanted to do was to help him; if he needed his time alone, then she would allow him, though she only wished she knew where he was going.

…

Link slammed against the button in frustration as he was waiting on the sidewalk. The murderous expression remained on his face as he stared hard at the ground. There were no other pedestrians at the sidewalk to accompany him which was good for him. He didn't want any company to follow him as he searched for the tall white building that indicated a hospital. Nor was he willing to sit in a bus crowded with people. He wasn't near cooling down yet as he briskly walked to the other side of the street. At the same time, he couldn't help but feel relieved for standing up to that teacher. That teacher annoyed him for too long.

Finally, after walking for more than an hour, Link finally found the edifice. He promptly walked inside and was directed to the room that contained his grandmother. As he went up in the elevator, he partly hoped that she had awoken and read his letter. To his disappointment, as soon as he walked inside, she had not as it was still neatly folded up into that shrimp form and she was sleeping in the same position he had seen her this morning. He pulled up the chair right next to her and sat there quietly.

He looked up at the clock. 11:50. Lunch had started already. Speaking of which, his stomach growled loudly. But he had no appetite to even eat. So he just continued to sit there. Like a statue.

After staring at his grandmother for nearly ten minutes, he couldn't help but observe the long three clawed scar running along her forearm. It had been given to her when she had reached her mid 20s… when she refused to give herself to the despicable soldiers from the Island Death Trek those sixty years ago. One of them had purposely scratched her so hard that it had left marks on her to remind of the incident. She never backed down. She never submitted to those vile creatures. She remained strong for those sixty grueling days…

In a mesmerized state, Link slowly reached out for that hand, wondering what it was like to bear a mark on that and still move on. She had seen terrible things, she lost her son, she lost her husband, and now she could die right here. It was then Link realized he began to cry.

He gripped the hand tightly, as the tears leaked like rivers down his face. There was no point in hiding his tears from anyone else. He could only say he was ashamed of doing it as he was told that this was a sign of weakness. When his grandfather got angry with him, he slapped him on the back with a big stick and if he cried he would hit harder. As such, he learned never to openly cry…

Did it really matter anymore? He was a grown man and he was crying for something that could not be undone. He had condemned her to this fate. It was nearly fifteen hours ago that this happened and yet he continued to cry. Why did he continue to do so?

_Her blood is on your hands if she dies right here._

The thought frightened him. He had known what he had done to her but to actually voice it aloud in his thoughts scared him. What would happen to them if she died? Would his brothers condemn him to a life of misery for never speaking to him again, even if they all had participated in the act? It scared him to death.

He did the only thing he could think of…apologize. Even if she wasn't awake to hear him, just doing it (he hoped) would bring him some peace. "Gran," he began "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for putting you in this position. I'm sorry for…" he continued on and on even when the chair rolled away and left him begging on his knees, he still kept praying for her. It was never in his nature to go down and preach, but at that moment, it mattered to him greatly now that it was his own grandmother lying on that bed, looking blissfully unaware of the outside world around her as she continued to breathe softly.

"Gran, I'm sorry for being a poor excuse of a grandson." He finally told her before his weariness overtook him and he was wrapped in the cold tendrils of sleep

"Rinku."

"Grggh."

"Rinku."

"Five more minutes."

"Rinku, wake up my little prawn."

Link awoke, bleary-eyed and stiff. He rubbed his eyes as he took in his surroundings. _The hospital, I forgot. _Link thought. But no one else was in the room besides him so who would…

"I'm glad to see you're awake my little prawn." Gran stroked his cheek as he looked at her, shocked that she was conscious and having little trouble speaking unlike what the doctor had said

"Gran." He whispered before hugging her tightly

"Good morning, my little grasshopper."

"Morning?!" Link yelped, he backed out of his hug and checking the time, he realized she was right _1:54 a.m_

"I slept for that long!"

"Yes and you have a lot of explaining to do about playing hooky." Gran sternly told him which caused him to inaudibly gulp

"How did you find out about that?" he asked her quietly, twiddling his thumbs

"Ravio told me about you leaving in the middle of class. Now, what were you thinking young man?"

Link whimpered at his grandmother's tone "I'm sorry Gran." He hung his head ashamed

Instead of screaming at him, she sighed "Link, I'm asking you this because I care about you… and after moving all five of you here, I guess it wasn't fair of me to judge you so rigidly even after settling down here."

Link said nothing. He kept his head down as his grandmother continued. "Lift your face, my little prawn. I don't want to speak to your hair."

Link nodded and finally lifted his face up. She was no longer pale as she was before and her breathing was normal and more controlled. Her body was warm and not slick with sweat. Even the wrinkle lines seemed to disappear as she lie awake on the bed.

"Tell me Rinku, why did you leave in the middle of class?"

Link let out a heavy breath, wondering how he should start "I-I…couldn't leave you here. After all I…we've done to you was wrong and insensitive. I couldn't bear the burden of leaving you right here. It's just that I would have been the one to blame for putting you here…"

Gran looked at him solemnly as he bowed his head again "Is that what you believed yourself, Rinku? That you sentenced your grandmother here on purpose and came to atone?"

Link sighed "In a way…yes…after all it was my idea."

"Your idea?"

"My idea to go to the Milk Bar and ask a favor of the Indigo-Go's." Link elaborated, willing to tell the truth "I thought that if they performed at school, we would have the chance to go out with our dates."

"Your dates?"

"Yeah," Link told her sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared at her confused orbs "My brothers and I were hoping to ask them out to the dance…" He continued on after Gran's expectant look "we were going to sing to them and perform our dance and at least bring the Indigo-Go's along to perform for our school since they had no DJ to do so."

It was then Gran's eyes lit up in understanding "So all of this was for those women?"

Link nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was afraid the moment I said 'bar' you would have automatically disapproved of me going there."

"Not that, why didn't you tell me about them? Describe the one you like."

Link chuckled nervously, a tad perturbed at his grandmother's enthusiasm "Well, she is very intelligent. Salutatorian of our class actually." He smiled "She's also very motivated, and very fun to be around with…It's like she is my fountain of youth." He said a little breathlessly before he realized how far he was taking the direction of his statement "I wouldn't call it love just yet, but I do know I like her. Maybe when I could get to know her more then, I could call it love. But I know she is different from everyone else…What do you think Gran?"

"Why does she matter to you?"

"Well…huh, I don't know but when I talk to her, I could be my own quirky self around her…It's strange I know but that I feel comfortable to act like that around her. I may be rushing a bit but Gran… _please tell me how you started to love_ Grandfather?"

She half-smiled at him "This is a journey only you can undertake. The love I shared with your grandfather was a very precious one, Rinku. If this girl you deem as worthy to you, _I believe everything will turn out the way you think it will_." Now her lips were turned up in a full smile "Rest… for you have a lot to do in the coming days."

Somewhat disappointed with her answer though relieved she was going to be okay, Link took up another chair beside him so that he could sleep in his own makeshift bed. Before he closed his eyes however, he chuckled, "Maybe you're right Gran. _Who knows? We might end up doing well_."

She tittered lightly "And that is why you are called Rinku, my grandson, you are the bearer of Courage."

When Link turned his head to look at her, she was already asleep. Link grinned. "_I'll bet my all this time_." He said into the darkness before he resumed into the most peaceful sleep he had for a long while


End file.
